It might have been that sunny day
when you stood laughing with friends

on the top of Mount Shasta
the summer you were not in Vietnam

and so were allowed to stay kids
for a while longer.

But with a life so packed
with sunny days, it’s hard to guess

exactly when the sun first hexed
your DNA. It might have been

as you were holding
the love of your life in your arms

on the beach in Costa Rica, or maybe
it was that oblivious summer

on the Vineyard when you swung your little girl
high above a breaking wave,

which is what you’re thinking now
as you lie facedown in the doctor’s office

catching the scent of your skin
being cauterized so you may get to absorb

a little more of what the sun has to offer.