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ANGEL ON A SWING

DAVE THE POET

ACT ONE

From the first time I saw you
I knew you were the one for me
Our eyes met from a distance
I fell in love
With you instantly
You were on the swings
I was with my friends
The feelings
In my heart
I hoped would never end
As graceful as a bird
I watched you
Walk on by
Recess over
Classes about to begin
Everyone went inside!

Everything I felt
Was so brand-new to me
I’d close my eyes
And think of you
Find it hard to breathe
At night in my sleep
You would visit me in my dreams
When I’d wake in the morning
It’s amazing
How real it seemed
Sometimes you were an angel
Other times my wife
The mother of my children
Always my partner for life
How could I explain to you
What I did not understand
I was just a boy
Years away from being a man!
When we got to high school
We ran with different crowds
Seeing you at parties
Me scared
The music loud
Then I saw you holding hands
With a guy from the football team
Thoughts are hard to come by
In the world of shattered dreams
My heart was in a million pieces
What was I to do
A brokenhearted teenager
Who thought his life was through!

All at once
At our senior prom
I got a second chance
They played a slow song
I asked you to dance
I heard the lightning first
Then thunder and rain
Holding you close to me
Hearts pounding
While we swayed
Everything seemed perfect
Nothing could go wrong
Our eyes met
With a smile
In seconds
You were gone!

Summer passed by quickly
I’d see you at the beach
Close enough to touch
Slightly out of reach
College was upon us
We’d be in different states
It was then I realized
Time never waits!

Many years had passed
Since I’d seen my boyhood home
The world can seem so big
To a soul
That needs to roam
With all the miles I traveled
And all the things I’d seen
Whenever I was lonely
I would close my eyes and imagine
You swinging
On the playground
In my dreams!

One day I stopped running
Set some rooted goals
On the way to the top
Somewhere I lost my soul
Climbing ever higher
Spiraling out of control
After countless empty years
I began to understand
The innocence
Of a boy
Could save a troubled man!

ACT TWO

Whatever happened
To the love I used to know
Simple, uncomplicated
The real thing
Beautiful as a sunrise
Or an angel on a swing
I’d feel so lost at times
Trying to find a home
Thinking back to a time
When life was pure
And I was sure
Of what I wanted
The path I would follow
Right now
It’s hard to imagine
Which direction things will go?

When I close my eyes
I can see
The way life used to be
A young boy
On a playground
Laughing at nothing
Friends all around
Watching the girl
Who captured my heart
It’s been a long complicated road
But that was the start
I’ll never forget the moment
I saw her
A bluebird day
I couldn’t say a thing
Whatever happened
To my Angel on a swing?
Saturday afternoon
I went for a walk
In the park
Just about sunset
Not quite dark
It was holiday time
The lights all aglow
Clouds danced
It felt like snow
As I rounded the corner
To my surprise
There she was
On the swing
Radiating smile
Familiar blue eyes
Stopped in my tracks
I let a moment pass
She reminded me
Of a simpler time
Smell of fresh-cut grass!

I stood in a haze
Transported to younger days
Then out of the corner of my eyes
I watched her materialize
From under a tree
She began walking towards me
I tried to speak
But could not say a thing
Taking her place
Behind the swing
She joined the girl
In fun and games
It was plain to see
They were one in the same!

They hugged, laughed and sang songs
She recognized me immediately
It had been way too long
Snow started to fall
As we reminisced
About the lives we lived
The things we missed!

It’s amazing
How kindred souls
Wind up in the same place
In certain ways
We never left the third grade
Sitting on a bench
Holding hands
Under a Cheshire moon
We made plans
To get together soon
Back in each other’s lives
I confided in her
One final truth
That I loved her
Since the day we met
And would always be there
To take care of her
Both older and wiser
We agreed on one thing
There is nothing more beautiful
Than an angel on a swing!