Poetry

Swingset

Back and forth, back and forth,

my legs move in the air to the rhythm of the breeze.

The clouds grow closer, so close

that I can almost reach out and grab them.

I see the trees around me, the branches like veins

carrying energy from sunlight to each tiny leaf.

There's music carried in the wind,

the creaking of the chains, the songs of birds

flying higher than I ever could,

the laughter and joyful outbursts of other bodies around me.

There's peace here, in the back and forth.

There's comfort in the motion.

The repetitive nature of my knees bending and extending over and over,

giving me momentum and propelling me towards the heavens.

The motion is mimicked by the flowers, swaying with the gusts of wind,

vivid colors glowing proudly, while they dance to the music.

I often picture myself letting go.

Letting my body lift from the wooden plank beneath me.

Releasing my grip on the linked metal at my sides

and setting my spirit free in flight.

Singing with the birds above me

and looking down on the trees beaming with bright green life.

The rainbows of the flowers waving goodbye.

"We'll see you again soon."

The music is interrupted by the shrill cry of a bell in the distance.

The other bodies scurry to line up at the doors of the red-bricked building.

The full weight of my body on my feet as the music ends and is replaced by excited chattering and the clunking of opening doors.

I must bid farewell to the music,

to the comfort of the back and forth, the birds, the trees, the flowers.

"I'll see you again soon."

There Is

There is a tree where hope lives

And breathes and has its being.

I sit among the branches and make my nest

Of blue feathers and leaves of dark green,

The fragrance of hope blooms every spring,

And in the bleakness of winter

I look out from my nest knowing

Hope is flowing all around this beautiful tree.

There is a field where peace lives,

Lovers dream

Dreamers love to inhale the flavors of

Dirt and grass, sun and sky, breezes---

That soothe even the darkest of souls.

There is a river

And this is where salvation

Flows freely, equitably.

Its waters shape the rocks and stones,

And time,

Our hidden histories revealed!

The river tugs gently, relentlessly

Upon my simple being,

Leading me alongside the fields of Peace

Nearby the tree

Where Hope lives.

I OWN THE SREETS

When I awoke, my legs trembled

like earth moving.

My bench, no longer covered

with newspapers,

groaned as I stood,

and my last blanket blew away.

Yesterday's funnies and

my horoscope

promising better days.

It said nothing about my nights,

filled with looters

and street washing machines

flinging mud and filth.

The streets were cleaner than I,

but I could walk and they were still.

I was their master. I owned the streets, and

they gave up their treasures to me.

Coins, ribbons,

little cardboard boxes smelling

of noodles and soy. Hundreds of them

stacked and nestled in my shopping cart,

waiting for the right purpose,

waiting for an answer. Playing

the waiting game.

My eyes are wide open, squinting

into the bright sunlight,

making tears

that feather my cheeks,

but no one

that passes by can see me.

They have no pupils, not that I can tell.

Of course, I could well be invisible,

yet I cast a shadow, so how could that be?

I am torn and tattered

against brick, against marble,

against glass that mirrors someone else.

Pennies in my pocket jingle their copper tones

like the wind chimes

above the doors of the Chinese bistro.

I have money. I have power. I own the streets.

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Jeremy Chavis / Charity LePoor

Swingset

Kim Phillips-Morgan

Dancing on Eggshells

There Is

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Steph Tanner - Louisville, Kentucky

WE SHALL BE HERE

-Emma McDamiel-Ellis / Montgomery, Alabama

I OWN THE SREETS

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