Sophie Newton
Heat
I suck the nectar from a flower on the way home from school.
The flavour bursts on my tongue, sweet and natural,
And pollen sticks to the roof of my mouth.
On scorching days we jump into the reservoir by the ocean
And don’t think about the water quality.
We tire too quickly under the glare of the sun,
Wrench ourselves from the water onto the pontoon
To dry up in the heat.
Later, salt crystals cake our legs, itching,
Banished only by the thin spray of a public shower.
Even though I wash that night, the sheets are sticky with sweat by morning.
Rinse and repeat.
Nothing ever happens until it does,
And the end of summer leaves me gasping,
Spitting out sweat and salt crystals and the sugar from sweet flowers.
Fuller and emptier in none of the ways that matter.
Sophie Newton is a Year 13 student from Auckland. She has a passion for fiction and essay writing, and has previously been published in the NZ Herald.