This playground is forgotten

Her children, its caretakers, left long ago
Leaving trampled grass, lonely echoes, and this convoluted shell
I look toward the rusted metal skeletons of ancient swings, ladders, merry-go-rounds
Poles like gnarled fingers stretch toward the sky
Then crumple into angry fists of rotting steel
Teetering on cracked mud, enveloped by a film of dust and aimlessly suspended cracked leaves
Soft light reflects from a tie-dyed setting sky, beckoning me to reminisce

These silhouettes vaguely accuse anyone who dares to look
Reminding them, me, of the pain of abandonment and fading dreams
I hear my laughter, muffled and hollow, as if through a tunnel
I no longer recall what made me so happy
I smell the sticky sweat of my body mingling with the smoke from a distant leaf fire
I feel blistering heat on the back of my thighs, as I plunge down a glistening sheet of metal
I am rising effortlessly into azure skies
Sure I can fly, if only someone pushes me, just that much further
Convinced I will discover infinite happiness, if only I can defy gravity
I spin until I am dizzy, then fall to the dirt
Crying, dreams momentarily crushed, looking for a hug
An embrace that never came

A playground, my childhood, a steel jungle