The Summer I was Six

Monday and Friday at Pikes-Peek-A-Boo day care.
Receiving a bronze medal at the annual Olympics
Forced to eat the one thing hated more then anything else.
Strawberries.
Falling asleep to the movie Babe, day after day.
Learning the right way to say the word “animal”
And that there is no such thing as boy and girl colors.

The taste of a sweet Klondike bar.
Wednesdays at Grandma’s house.
Sharing one with Patrick after our afternoon nap.
Suntan lotion glistened on our skin
As we walked over to the community pool.
Hours spent splashing, jumping and racing
From one side to the other-
Begging for just five more minutes.

Tuesday and Thursday with Kate the babysitter.
Our faces sticky with jelly from PB & J’s,
Eaten under the big oak tree out front.
Pretending to be chefs on a cooking show
Leaving our handprints in the gooey dough.
Flooding the yard to make our own mini river system.

Nighttime with Mom and Dad.
Waiting on the “Kid’s Side Trail” for mom.
To walk her home from work at the lake.
Never being able to stay still while fishing with Dad.
Giving every fish we caught a kiss good-bye.
Rushing to t-ball and Boy Scout meetings,
Always being the mascot.

The summer I was six,
The summer I will NEVER forget.