Karena Dhamecha

Our hushed voices and stifled giggles

Join the night’s cacophony

Of bullfrogs, cicadas, and crickets.

We clutch each other as we stumble

Over the gravel, led by a darting

Beam of light. Racing through the last field,

Splashing across the last creek, we burst

Through the trees, breathless.

As we pull off our clothes,

The summer breeze runs

Its hands over our bare bodies.

We stand on the edge, staring at our

Shared reflection. And with a collective

Yeow, we jump.

The cool lake water grabs me,

Pulling my body down

As I kick to the surface.

We swim to the raft and climb on, letting

The humid summer air embrace us

Once again as we lay in a circle.

We bathe in moonlight, the sweetness

Of the day still clinging to the breeze.

Our gazes turn towards our corner

Of the universe, cut off from the rest

Of the world, framed by the fingertips

Of the trees. We float there together,

A dark constellation, surrounded by

A myriad of mirrored stars.