the starting of summer,
I lost and gained.
Only the floor held my weight in cane strawed baskets, so
When I feel it is through coldness.
Surfaces warmed by feet friction anger dust, bursting of unaffordable technology,
Acid fluids from a power unit of towers built with pulsing organ.
In joy for this strength, I bit your tongue to fill it with a whiteness of afternoon light

The starting of summer begins when it is still not warm enough
To talk about love like a careless thing 
Resting with age motivated shoes
Black Stilettos higher than the potential energy of comedian tears,
A tourist waterfall- I am looking at pictures we have clicked
In a singular season.
The 2^nd one starts as soon as it can and slips into a body
Slippery and warm, a marine oil spill
The starting of summer,
And I can barely watch.

***

Written by Maya Ribeiro
Illustrated by Afternoon Delight Zine

Maya (she/they) is a 16-year-old writer, working out of Mumbai. Through her work, she likes to explore the things that people don’t talk about, how to display them artistically and make them seem like a universal experience.