Swing Set
by Elisabeth Spalding
Worn from years of wear;
Tender affection;
The rain-bleached seat is bare
Of a visitor.
Softly, a breath of air gives it a push;
It creaks;
Such a lonely sound, a little whimper
No one hears.
There must have been a time,
One summer day,
When I child might perch there
Like a china doll,
With golden ringlets billowing
In the breeze.
But those days of leisure have gone,
Just like the children no longer young.
Only the faded blue ribbon
Tied about an old teddy bear's neck
Signifies that ever there was joy;
Love;
The rain has begun to fall again,
And beside the wing's oak tree home
Resides a quaint headstone
For a girl who shall never again experience
The feel of the wind rushing through her hair.