1 poem

By Deeksha Shriram

Greenhills School

maroon

Last night, I found an abandoned playground with

no kids, parents or dogs in sight.

A thunderstorm was brewing in the sky, slowly stripping the autumn trees of their maroon

leaves.

Lightning hit the sky,

and the seesaw creaked, succumbing to an invisible weight.

Little droplets of rain turned into streams,

drenching my

little yellow raincoat.

Wood chips dug into my soles,

their edges sharp against damp socks.

I could smell firewood burning and

marshmallows toasting.

I looked for the scent’s origin but the only thing surrounding me was

darkness.

In front of me was a

red swing set,

the only pop of color in sight.

I sat down, and watched the structure sink in with my

weight.

I tried kicking off of the ground for a head start,

but my knees were already touching the earth.

I was taller than the structural poles,

and stronger than the chains could handle,

so I just sat and stared at the stars.

I could feel the swing slowly crumbling, but I

waited.

My palms rested on my thighs,

the cold chains imprinting rust on my fingers.

I kicked at the dirt, and a memory spilled out:

A little girl, only three feet tall, leaping from the play structure,

knees streaked with maroon.

sand slipped through tiny fists,

a castle’s turret crumbling.

She was

beautiful,

kind,

free.

Laughter echoed in the toy house,

though no voice answered now.

The swing sagged beneath me,

its chains strained and sighing.

Once, it soared high enough

for that little girl to touch the sky with outstretched toes.

Last night, its faded frame clung to the earth,

its bright paint swallowed by rust and rain.

I pushed off the swingset, the seat still sagging under the memory of my

weight.

My fingers brushed the cool metal one last time before slipping away.

The grass crunched faintly beneath my feet,

but I kept my gaze fixed ahead, silence pulling at my

shoulders.

As I turned around to face the swingset head on,

I saw the chains break,

the swing fall,

and the metal poles collapse.

I escaped the apocalypse.