Freckle inspection

For small summer joys.

My daughter and her seasonal freckles.

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My youngest daughter stands in front of her father
ready for sunscreen. Day camp just minutes away.

“Let’s start at the top,” he says. “First of all,
freckle inspection.” He studies her forehead, 

her cheeks, her nose. “Excellent,” he says. 
“I see a few new ones.”

Each summer, they emerge like stars—
dapples and dots, dabs of dark gold

flicked from a paintbrush to form a cluster
across her soft little face.