A Yard Lit by a Fall

A back yard
With the playthings of a child scattered about
Resting peacefully near the road
A tiny pink bicycle
Its wheels worn from flying up and down a cracked sidewalk
And its body scratched from skidding tumbles
Which soon after, a loving giant came running
And scooped it back up

Lying in the center of the yard
A tattered and torn rag doll
With stuffing seeping out of its head
Which was caused by what seemed to be an insignificant fall from a tree’s peak
The same loving giant who scooped up the bicycle
Made an attempt to remedy its head with a needle and some thread
But the gash was just too large
And life ran away, but the doll still remained

Beside the doll
The drawings and scribbles of a child sit
Animals and wonders of another world
Which the clouds above display to wide-open eyes
One drawing seems to stand out
One not of imagination, but one of compassion and affection
Which when seen by the loving giant from before
Brought a tender smile to his face as a benign tear ran down his rosy cheeks

And to the very far right of the yard
A deep black shadow relaxes on swaying grass
Above is a petite giggling girl
Her eyebrows bouncing up and down on her forehead
Overjoyed by the magnificent ride her swing provides
She continues going higher, reaching for the gleaming sun
She makes it to the uppermost point, as tall as a tree
And she lets go…

In the air, her body begins to twirl
She dances and spins with the breeze that is created
A little awkward though
Like a ballerina performing in her first show
And the sun’s light reflects off of her bright green eyes
As she finishes her play, the final one for this time
The grass seems to applaud her act, a standing ovation
And she takes a bow…

She hit the ground with a gentle thud
Her neck snapped, her head cracked
And blood poured out, forming a stream to the road
Still locked onto her face was a smile, and her arms still reaching for the sun
A leaf from some far off tree
Pranced over and crumbled on her chest
Then rain from the weeping sky began to fall
And washed away all signs of pain

A car drives up and parks in the garage
Out steps a man and he looks around the flooded yard
Where he usually sees his little girl running and hopping
Then she sees him and greets him with a hug around his leg
He looks over to the right, the point of impact
And he sees the child which he has nurtured
And the only human dear to his heart
Sleeping instead of playing

He runs to her side and places her head on his knee
Softly he raises it up a little more and wraps his shirt around the cut
His throat becomes sore as he tries to maintain his sanity
She feels cold; he picks her up into his arms
And whispers hoarsely into her ear, “I love you.
Breathe, please. I’ll never let you go.”
He then notices the drawing of him and her, hand-in-hand
And a tear streaks down his cheek as the ink runs away

The man never left his house since that day
He took her inside and laid her limp body on her bed
Then he walked over to his chair and sat down
He cried himself to sleep and never awoke
Outside, above the bloodstained grass, the swing still waved with the wind
The drawings and scribbles were faded into random blotches, like clouds
The bicycle still lingered near the road, with nothing to scoop it back up
And the rag doll still lied lifeless, waiting to be released and set free