head under colors

not that
w
l
i

d,
they say,
you will hurt yourself, they say
let the others have a turn too, they say
and
aren’t you getting a bit too old for that
?
NO!
I shout
HIGHER!
I shout
this is
my playground
my swing
nothing
regulates
limits
&
tames
me here
on my playground
on my swing
I’m picking up
more speed
for going over the top
the chains stretched tight
the seat vibrating
we defy gravity
in their minds
my swing and I
more speed
for going over the top
back and forth
I swing
between sky and ground
innocent & free / unaffected by everything
that ought to be
right at the top - the tipping point
that one second
before gravity kicks in
before heaviness is overwhelming
that one second
in which it seems possible to fly
I
want to jump
catapult myself off
led by my legs
higher & higher
out into the blue
into the open
without the fear of
f
a
l
l
i
n
g
because there is no ground waiting
b
e
l
o
w
here
on my playground
there is no
collision
I
p
l
u
n
g
e
into
the ball pit
bathing in colors
swimming through hues
head under colors
I disappear
when they come
NO!
I shout
I’M STAYING RIGHT HERE!
I shout
as long as
they are lurking
out there
to tame me
to trim me down
as long as
they are lurking
out there
to moderate us
to push us back
as long as
they are lurking
in their
neat and tidy
front yards fenced in by
centuries-old power structures
where nothing
w
l
i

d
survives
as long as nothing changes

I AM STAYING!
RIGHT!
HERE!