I sold my summer

Short as the wind in the end
the sheets of businessmen caked and taped
above my grave
time, a fortune given away
hours into minutes
three months to a day
where went June?
it ticked off waving away
so did July
summer burning earth and rain that never came
but was halfway gone already and me,
grim in the duties of my office
the tick of the clock, the walls, cloaked and grey
the hall lights off
no light comes in there now
I was the last to leave

I sold my summer short as it were
traded away all the kid things, bikes and baseball gloves
easy day long games of monopoly and risk
and kick the can where
every summer day is Saturday
I sold my summer short, blowing out July
a candle burning bliss and blessed like August
just as brief and gone again
like cartoon cats
chased by cartoon dogs

I sold my summer days running the other way
I remember yesterday
me, a dutiful daddy coming home
it's Friday night
the neighborhood kids run by shouting
one bumps into me
standing in my suitcoat heavy trenched
the briefcase in my hand
underarms
wrist limped
wet with sweat
my old man July face drenched and drooping
like the bottle brush treess
hugging the heat-filled wind
some kid bumps into me
he screaming and laughing
lets out a "zipppppeeee"
and tears away in freckled shrieks
doo dah disappearing like the bending light
turning summer into night
i watched him run away
that kid was me, no, he was not me,
i am someone else now
summer, you shorted me