By Aaliyah El-Amin

Memory goes back as far as 
white shorts, red-and-blue tank tops, 
jelly sandals with sparkling stars. 
Running through daisies with hair-a-mess, 
flicking ladybugs and chiggers in the grass. 
  
Enchanting June bugs perched on leaves,
waiting on a night full of fireworks— 
big, loud bursts of color dressing the sky. 
My favorite part: the sparklers, 
a personal piece of fire, 
making it dance while twirling 
in giddy delirium. 
  
Exhausted by summer’s high, I’d ask for 
triangles of red elixir, in the form of
watermelon juice dripping down my arms, 
each piece slurped up in ecstatic joy.

Spitting out the seeds to make room 
for the big surprise— 
Red, white, and blue 
popsicles bombs, 
to savor long into the night. 

 

Aaliyah El-Amin, based in Prince George’s County, is passionate about capturing the human journey through words, inviting readers on a shared experience. She is the founder of the writing collective You Are Write Here. Her works have appeared in Center for Creative Writing, Artists of Maryland, Maryland Bards, and Neopoets anthologies. A recipient of the Right On Funniest Poem award from Loudoun County Public Library, she currently participates in Washington, DC’s Cave Canem workshop.