summer gone

When did August stop being part of summer? It gets cooler this time of year, up north. School starts, summer things start to drop away. June is summer, sort of, but really we're left with July to embody everything we need from the season. I feel cheated by all those books I read as a kid, about cabins and coves and secret places and endless weeks for exploring. Summer was enough time to refashion yourself, with the help of an old rowboat and maybe a puppy. Now there's not time enough for anything. I bet if I had a rowboat, though, I wouldn't mind it all so much.