august.

summer was over the second she stepped on that airplane
the tan on her skin being the only fading reminder
of a feeling only august brought along

august always felt lighter
like a heavy weight was lifted off her shoulders,
allowing her to breathe again, to create space for herself

for loving herself

but september came along every year
and this feeling faded, just as her tan did,
as she got sucked up in work, in things she thought were important

this year was different, though
she couldn’t get herself to sit in front of the laptop
doing the things she used to think made her important

and as she stood there in front of the mirror, staring at her tan
she felt light again
this time, she knew there was another way.

august was a state of mind
and summer wasn’t over yet