The Empty Swing Set

The swing set groans a rusty song,
a melody only the wind knows.
It’s been years since laughter hung
heavy in the air, like summer rose.

Remember pushing higher, higher,
trying to touch the indifferent sky?
Each pump of legs, a burning fire,
believing we could learn to fly.

Now the chains are cold beneath my hand,
and the wooden seats are cracked and worn.
A ghost of joy in this forgotten land,
where childhood dreams were brightly born.

The grass grows tall, untamed and free,
swallowing the path we used to tread.
A silent testament to what used to be,
a life we lived, now mostly dead.

I see us there, in faded light,
giggles echoing, innocent and bold.
Building castles, day and night,
a story that will never grow old.

But time, that thief, it steals away
the magic, the wonder, the carefree grace.
Leaving only shadows, a somber gray,
an empty smile on time's cold face.

Where did we go, those children bright?
Scattered like leaves upon the breeze.
Lost in the shadows of the fading light,
searching for some inner ease.

The world demands we grow and change,
to bury dreams beneath the weight
of responsibilities, a wider range
of worries that seal our youthful fate.

I try to hold on, to keep alive
the spark that flickered in those days.
But the weight of living starts to strive
against the memory's golden rays.

So I stand here now, a grown-up child,
watching the swing set sway alone.
A heart that's weathered, a spirit mild,
reflecting on what's come and gone.

The rust whispers tales of sun and rain,
of scraped knees and whispered secrets shared.
A sweet, nostalgic, echoing pain,
a love that time has gently spared.

Maybe one day, a new generation
will find this place, this forgotten space.
And fill the air with celebration,
leaving their own indelible trace.

Until then, the swing set waits,
a silent promise, a hopeful plea.
For laughter to return, before it's too late,
and set the captive memory free.

And I will visit, when I can,
to feel the ghost of childhood near.
To remember the girl, the boy, the man,
and whisper a goodbye, without a tear.