Photography © Edward S. Gault

 

Lies Behind the Swings

Behind the forgotten swingsets of childhood pasts
And the rock pit that lie below
To once be inevitably replaced by a workman’s shed in the years to come
Lay a stretch of woods, vastly covering the acres of land owned
By this family of caregivers.

The trees cover the land,
But the swings cover the woods
The leaves cover the trees
But the leaves fall, revealing true skin

These are masks
To a much larger lie beyond.
The swings that hang from strings on the wooden playset
Cover entrances to dark places, beyond time.

It’s scary back here, as it exists to no one
Except the one back there.
Doing the work that no one believes is real
Until the leaves masking the light have nothing to mask anymore.

Once emerged from this place, life seemed different than it did before.
No, nothing has changed, but it need not.
Nothing has happened.
Until you go back.

 

Ryan Kennedy is a Senior English Major at Salem State University. “I’m passionate about stories, fitness, and making memories.”

Edward S. Gault is a poet and fine arts photographer living in Brighton, Massachusetts. His work has appeared in Oddball Magazine, Spectrum, Wilderness House Literary Review, Interlude, Currents, and Encore. His poetry collection, Airhead and Other Poems was published this year by Read and Green Books.