Violently Silent : Poetry

"The Frozen Twist"

Up and up, higher and higher, we go
On these creaking swings
Laughing through squints as the sun shines on our faces
Kids chase each other, dangerously close to our swinging legs
But we don't mind, we don't think twice
My legs sizzle against the hot seat but we keep swinging
We are flying
We'd always jump off the swing at the same time
On the count of three
Trying to land on our feet
We'd do it again and again
Until our bodies were covered in scrapes and bloodied
We'd just collapse in laughter
Chatting about life and school

Then one day, things changed
You invited me to the park, on a hot fall day
I ran up to you, grinning
but something was off about you
You wore a white puffy jacket
And kept fiddling with the coat zipper,
your mom lingered close behind
I remember the expression you gave me when you said it
Your baby blue eyes were cast down towards the woodchips
You kept trying to wipe away the tears that weren't quite formed yet
I shifted my weight from side to side under the sun's warmth, confused
But then you said, "I can't hang out with you anymore"
And my grin dissolved
The world got windy, and I got dizzy
The sun vanished and soon it was just clouds in the sky
"Mom said it'd be bad to be friends with you"
Ice formed from the ground and wrapped its way around my ankles
The thick ice reached around my body, locking me in place
As Icicles fell from my murky brown eyes, dangerously close to my feet,
You kept talking, but I couldn't hear you anymore
The ice had already made it's way to my ears
I suddenly felt bare, exposed
Needing to wrap myself in a sheet
But I couldn't move, I couldn't talk
And after you realized I wasn't going to respond
You gave me a sad wave and turned around
Covering your face with your hands
As your mom led you away from me

I just watched you
Cold, deserted, and devastated
The playground was coated in a layer of snow
And the moon shone above me
Casting its pale light onto my face
As my teeth chattered in rhythmic sobs