A Tribute to Summer...

A Boy's Summer
By Don Iannone

Summers lasted forever when we were young,
Each day was an heroic journey
Full of adventure and fun,
There was so much we had to see and do.

Summers were a break from school,
But some of life's most important lessons
Were learned from our summertime play,
Remember when you first learned to climb a tree?

The sun turned us into brownberries,
Getting dirty was a sign of just how much
Fun you had that day,
Remember when you mastered your first hook shot?

There were caves to explore,
Places Mom begged us to avoid,
Which made it all the more important that we go there,
Remember when you first rode your two-wheeled bike without Dad's help?

How is it we never tired of playing baseball for hours on end?
And when we weren't playing the game,
We were busy studying it on the back of baseball cards,
Remember when you first learned to hit a curve ball?

Rainy days were when we really developed our imaginations,
When did a rainy day ever stop a child's play?
The smell of a fresh summer rainfall still fills my nostrils,
Remember when you actually saw lightening split a tree in half?

There were endless fields to be walked and searched
For Indian arrowheads and other artifacts,
What a delight to find that perfect triangle,
Remember that first time you wanted to be an Indian and not a cowboy?

Over the summer, your schoolmates morphed into
Gangly adolescents overnight,
You hardly recognized your friends by summer's end,
Remember that first fleeting kiss with the girl next door?

Family vacations brought both joy and torment,
After all, you had to leave your friends behind
And play with your little sister for two weeks,
Remember the ordeal in finding a roadside motel with a pool?

Summers were lifetimes filled with special moments,
Sleeping at night was never a problem,
There was never a day you dreaded to come,
Remember the magic of your childhood summers.