Summer you walks in.
She is barely reminiscent of you three months ago, though it seems like no time has passed.
her sun kissed skin and glowing cheeks are radiant.
Her hair is lighter now, blonde threading through her chestnut locks that have become perpetually wavy from salty ocean water and pigtail braids.
She grins with a not-so-white smile she's come to love.
Her cheeks and nose are dotted with freckles,
and her ankles adorned with bracelets;
they tell of the adventures she has had.
there is a friendship one, she got the day she showed her favorite beach to her best friend.
There is one with blue tassels as well, though the threads are coming undone.
lastly, there are many rope ones, carelessly knotted around her ankle, the ends fraying.
she has placed a bet with herself to see how long she will keep them on.
summer you figures summer can't fade away if it's loose ends stay untied about her ankles, keeping their hold on her.
You hope she is right.
summer you walks in with new shoes, free of scuffs and wear like a new beginning should be.
she walks in with toned legs and thinner arms.
she walks in with newfound confidence.
summer you is no longer afraid to say what she feels, even if it doesn't come across as smooth as she wishes it to be.
summer you isn't afraid to laugh out loud in public and push around squeaky shopping carts in a quiet store.
summer you is undoubtedly you, brown hair and hazel eyes and freckles and crooked smile.
But she is also very different.
She is not the you that was, before the summer.
she is not perfect, but she is learning to love herself and embrace the journey that comes ahead.
She is stronger and she is more radiant and she is everything you wanted to be, in progress.
