Begins with the same searing promise of July, closes with burnt grass, yellowing leaves. Summer nights full of cicadas, moths at the lights, and humid air clinging to damp skin give way to cool nights hinting at autumn just a calendar page away.

Last chance for vacation – beaches fill with bare flesh, bright patterns, steady beats, and laughter. The briny scent of the ocean merges with sunscreen and iced tea. Ice cream cones are devoured with unadulterated pleasure, ants feasting on the drippings.

School districts begin to send their lists of necessary supplies; parents search for sales on blue folders, Crayola crayons, and wide-ruled paper. Students remember their summer reading, clamoring for any available copies at the library, as the librarians shake their heads, chuckle, and sigh.

The month closes, a new one begins. Ephemeral summer has once again passed.

Some say the new year begins on January first; I say it changes with the seasons.