Summer Love

The Sun heralds another morning

Beaming all-knowingly with a sly grin 

As the summer breeze wafts in 

Bringing along a comforting scent 

Of warm vanilla with a tinge of cocoa

And I smile as I recall her

An alluring figure, full of wonder

Her mere absence renders my heart asunder

I allow myself to be swept away

To the isle, we claimed for ourselves

And run my hands through the flowers 

That we fondly named as if they were our own

Flaunting their ethereal beauty sustained by 

The blazing rays of our frenzied passion 

Now looks morose and devoid of all meaning

Bereft of a Mother, numb to any feeling

On ambling along the shore, I wince

As I stumble upon a string of scattered conches

And on picking one, I’ll be godamned

But I swear I could hear our short peals of laughter

And your sigh of annoyance at my lame jokes

I can feel the waves tugging, hear them taunting me 

To go further ahead and search deeper within

For a mere glimpse of her in its consciousness

I naturally oblige and wade deeper, like bait

Deliberately losing my foothold on common sense

I surrender to this nonsensical madness, hoping she’d bite

And am rewarded by her presence, radiant as ever

We fumble towards each other, flailing wildly about 

Until our lips clasp for a moment, pure and divine

My mind’s serene, the moment just as pristine

Rudely broken by my cursed primal instincts for survival

And with a long glance backwards, fight upwards to land ashore

The seagulls squawk in a rather rude cacophony

Preening with delight on my unsavory loss 

I half-heartedly prop myself on a tree swing and watch

The Sun gracefully veer into the horizon, the sea glittering like sequins

Mirroring the last rays that paint the sky a fiery orange

And making heads on our beloved flowerbed turn quite literally

I swing contently albeit constant pangs of longing

Making my peace with the fact love’s pragmatic, yet fleeting

The chilly winds wake me up from my half-stupor

And I rush about, gathering firewood for a bonfire

The fire is lit, and just then you arrive yet again at the nick of time 

In a black dress, holding a bottle of sherry and a packet of marshmallows

You sit wordlessly beside me and gently entwine your fingers around mine

The both of us wait for the other to speak up, whilst enchanted by the flames dancing around

Crackling maniacally and creating a thousand sparks, in symphony with my head

I’m terrified I might say something I’d come to regret

As if in sync, we stare unabashedly at each other without breaking eye contact

While we gracefully leap over each other’s’ walls, respecting the reasons they were erected

We reach the others’ endpoint, and I’m consumed by an inexplicable sense of joy

For I can finally truly comprehend you

Your highs and lows, your biggest fears, and the most crippling insecurities

I await your final verdict with bated breath

And you accept me in my entirety, with no hesitation

Leaving me in awe of your magnanimous nature

The Moon shone ever brighter, blessing this union

And like moths drawn to a flame, we embraced and held each other close

Our shadows twisting and contorting, glorified by the flames

Virtues and toxicities, molded into one

The ear-splitting chirps of the crickets drowning the stillness of the night

We looked up to a sky laden with stars and streaking meteors

Wishing and looking forward to our future

Whilst taking in as much of the present moment we could

Your head rested gently on my shoulder 

And amidst whispering sweet little nothings into my ear

You looked straight into my eyes, always the pragmatic lover

Cautioned me, the fleeting lover saying,

“A flame that burns twice as bright, lasts about half its life”

I looked at her at a loss of words, unable to comprehend it at all

For everything was going great, or was it all superficial?

Did I love too much, or did I not love you enough?

Was it an obsession or true love?

Was our story just a cliché, just like the rest?

Destined to be derailed and fall into nothingness?

These questions reverberated in my head, and I wanted answers

But when’s the last time echoes were ever answered?

I could have sworn I saw a little green in her eyes

And for the first time, the thought of losing her terrified me

But they shifted back just as quick

With a thin veiled smile, she’d calm me down saying,

“It will be alright, and that what’s meant to would be so”

And that did the trick, for I thought no more about it

We would cuddle each other blissfully unaware of

The last embers of our flame being extinguished into the night

I’d wish I could eternally rest in your embrace

For I know if I will wake, you will melt into the summer breeze

But for as long as I live and breathe

I know that you’re going to live forever in me

So I will relive our glory days a million times over

And have the summer heat reset it just as many times

Till all we are is dust in the wind

Written by: Adrian Rex Coutinho for MTTN

Featured Image by: PeijinsArt

Artwork by: Martina Crepulja

Edited by: Ishita Sharma for MTTN