The Swing Set

The Swing Set By Kevin Robey March 26, 2013 In a playground amongst the frozen wasteland They swung together above the littered sand He didn’t understand why she felt ok Swinging in the cold, just swinging away They didn’t talk as they swung away together Despite the wind, she didn’t feel the weather She swung for reasons he could never really see He stopped and stared, waiting for her to speak His fingers were numb but he didn’t really care All she had done for him, it was more than fair He owed her the world, led by her selfless example He smiled as he realized this was just a sample He sat and watched now, couldn’t swing anymore But she kept going; weary legs begging for more When her heart was blown out by the unforgiving wind He stood, waiting patiently by to return the fire again Tapping along until his fingers turned to stone He promised her once she would never be alone He was not here as a lover, but as a friend Her heart returned it all, again and again But he saw no smile as her momentum regained Her vacant stare spoke softly of a dying vein She didn’t know if she would ever see the dying sun In this torrid family affair that she had never won He felt the silent tear streaming from her heart Same place as his, where they’d never be apart As she slowed down, her feet dragged on the ground Her smile unbound, with the love that they had found She felt the pain everywhere at once, but still she smiled She sat on the frozen ground, and there they stayed awhile Noticing for the first time the barren wasteland of their hearts Her world was a shattered wreck, but this swing set stood apart The pulverized remnants of her distant childhood memories Lay all around them like dreams made by her worst enemies As he held her close to him, she nuzzled her nose into his chest Reprieve from the surrounding chaos, closed her eyes to rest Finally she stood up and asked him if he was ready to move on When he said yes, they ventured into the world they had drawn With redefined smiles they saw their futures intertwined The unlikely survivors of their own post apocalyptic minds Endless horizons lay ahead as they left the swing sets behind He couldn’t touch the demons that waged war in her mind So he squeezed her hand tight, and she did just the same Into the world they went, giving every street a new name [sitting on the ground next to a swing set in florida]