As the weather warms
Layers peel away,
skin kissed by humid days and summer breezes~

The buzzing begins.
The whining that foreshadows
the seeking of bare skin
to bite and claim, devour and feast
Leaving welts and bruises and discomfort
No matter how quickly I swat them away

If they did not exist
if they didn't bother me
I would spend all summer
Out of doors
Running, lounging, playing, luxuriating
with scant clothing
In the heat and the sun

But instead, I retreat
I cover up
I stay indoors
I sweat inside, peering out the windows
Sticky and damp
Screened and locked in
Breasts and thighs and arms and legs
Covered up and hidden away
for my own protection, my own preservation

Because men and mosquitoes
make summer days
miserable.