Poetry by Damien Efren Diaz

Edited by Jordan Magee

And I sat on the swing, 

Swaying, 

Back and forth, 

Back and forth. 

My shoes dug under the wood chips,

 Under the streetlight, 

Under the moonlight. 

Some got in,

Poking at my ankles, 

Not painfully,

 But with just enough discomfort 

To put me back to the times of the playground, 

Where I would swing so high, 

I would kick the stars.

 And in the brief moment, 

I floated, 

And crashed with a child’s invulnerability.

So I look over the long-since crater,

I do not wish to return there,

 But it was nice to be reminded 

That it happened.

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Artist Statement: There was a lot of emotional context behind “The Swing.” I was in my hometown for a few days. I went to my friend’s party and had more to drink than usual. On the walk back, I passed this playground that I used to always go to when I was a child. Being overcome with emotion, I decided to go on the swing. Something about the night, the smell of wood chips, the lone street light, it made me remember all the times I would sneak out and play on the swing. It was strange how long I felt that sensation, it was somewhat foreign. I don’t know what came over me, but I was inspired to write this piece at that moment. I wanted to convey what I was feeling in that moment much like when a child isn’t about what they are doing. It was nice to remember again. To return to a place that I knew I would never return was comforting. A farewell to my childhood that I didn’t know I needed.