Forgotten Playground
Forgotten Playground

There was a time
Dark and desperate
Dirt turned into dust
And joy turned into misery
Playgrounds removed,
People pushed off the swings
This was the way
When they went down the slide
The people need joy
This was the world now
Filled with anguish
And no more happiness.
The slide was endless
No bottom in sight
Children kept falling
Day turned into night
The swings hung crooked
Chains twisted tight
No one was happy
No joy took flight
The seesaw tilted
Balance unstable
One side was heavy
The other side was thrown away
The carousel not moving
Paint chipped away
Circles once vibrant
Now broken and gray
The slide kept echoing
A never-ending descent
Hope slipped downward
The long climb spent
The swings remembered
But never would get pushed
Their shadows stretched longer
Across empty skies
The playground forgotten
Grass overgrown everywhere
And sorrow became,
Where joy had once been.


Dear Sahasra, your poem on Forgotten Playground captures a quiet sense of change in a very thoughtful way. The choice of words shows maturity and helps convey the feeling without overdoing it. It leaves the reader reflecting on what has been lost, which is a strong aspect of your writing.