By Loryn Nieto, TIWP Student

Cover me in spring.
Cover me in the sweetness of sunlight.
Drench me in the stars until they sink into my skin,
until my freckles glow in the night.

Let’s pitch a tent on the golf course.
Let’s squish beneath our blankets,
telling secrets against our flashlights.
Wake me when the sprinklers turn on
and we’ll dance in the sunrise,
our clothes like wet paint on our skin.

Come on over, I’m making breakfast!
We’ll have pastel pancakes to match our bright eyes.
Like we’re at a diner, I’ll refill your cup with black coffee.
Do you have any quarters on you?
I’ll play our favorite oldies.
You all look so pretty, by the way,
when you smile at your favorite songs.

Tomorrow we’ll greet the farmers’ market flower man.
He’ll laugh when we say, “We’ll take them all please.”
Just enough to brighten every dull corner,
enough to sweeten our dreams as we breathe them in at night.

So cover me in spring.
Cover me in the glitter of your company.
Hug my heart with laughter as we bundle up on the couch
for the last time.

Don’t worry, I can’t forget you,
because as long as winter blooms into spring,
you’re going to live forever in me.