Burnt Skin and Mosquito Bites

Burnt Skin and Mosquito Bites

By Elizabeth Maxwell

Burnt skin and mosquito bites,

Each day living here rids me of joy.

I yearn to leave with all my might.

Counting down the days until I can flee,

The time stretching on

I start to dream of what will be.

The harsh summer sun hidden away,

And out of reach from the hungry bugs.

A new place for me to stay.

But will my skin lose its colour?

Will the sky be full of the same lively bugs?

Will life become duller?

And suddenly the countdown doesn’t seem so long,

My new chapter just a page away.

Like the artist of my life is picking a new song.

But will I like what they pick?

What if I can never turn back to that same rosy shade?

Or I forget how to swat away the mosquitoes with a flick?

But I have to leave.

Swap the pink for pale,

And the bites for a crisp breeze.

I may miss my burnt skin and mosquito bites,

But maybe I won’t.