Seasonal Cycle

By Onnah Plummer

“Seasonal Cycle” is about what I picture when I imagine spring, summer, fall and winter and what I experience during those seasons.

“Sunday Best” plays in my ears
Fresh air pours through the open windows
And bugs are flying in and out 
No more long sleeves and baggy pants
No more shoveling snow off the car
Time for nice walks through the Morningside Park 
And carrying bug repellent wherever we go 
Pretty flowers and chalk art bloom on the sidewalks
Families are out with their kids
And the sun sets later 
Then before you know it, it’s Summer 



Stress free for two and a half months 
There are so many fun things to do
Barbecues with the family
Going to the boardwalk and winning prizes
Hearing Mr. Brightside play while you scream on the swings
The sunscreen smell that takes me right to the beach
Picture me playing in the waves
Watching sunsets on the water while listening to Morgan Wallen
Getting dressed up for dinner
And dressed down for late night swimming
So much freedom until it’s Fall



The soccer season starts back up
Cold 8am practices are on 
Pumpkin spice lattes return to Dunkin Donuts 
And my favorite Bath and Body Works scents are in 
Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin and Caramel Pumpkin Swirl
Lewis Capaldi sings in my ears as I travel to the first soccer tournament of the season
But the best part of fall is going pumpkin picking 
The ground covered with orange treasures 
On the hayride looking for the perfect one 
It always takes a while to find a good one 
Once we find it, we can’t wait to add it to our home decorations
When the pumpkins start rotting, it’s almost the holidays 



The snow starts falling
Christmas lists are being made
And hot chocolate is being served
I love watching movies while it’s snowing outside
When I am snuggled beneath a blanket I feel safe 
But my favorite part of winter is baking
We make chocolate truffles, butterscotch brownies
Gift exchanges are always a mess
Wrapping paper here 
Wrapping paper there
Makeup here 
Sports jerseys there
In the end, we’re always grateful for the gifts we get and give
After the holidays are over and the snow is all gone, it’s spring again
Feeling good, like I should

Performance

Process

I wanted to write about seasons because since nice weather is approaching, there are a lot of things I want to do outside. I started off by writing down bullet points about what I think about when I hear spring, summer, fall and winter. Then, I wrote a few stanzas that I wanted to make sure I included in the piece and as I continued to write, more and more ideas popped in my head which helped me form the poem.