She sped down the slide giddily,
her blond ringlets bouncing behind her.
She reached the bottom and over to the swings.
She laughed blithely as she swung in rhythm
With the other happy children,
Basking in their innocence.

He sat on the bench
Bitterly watching the child play.
What is she giggling about?
Life isn’t a walk in the park.
She has her whole life ahead of her
He thought
And she’ll probably waste it.
Most do.
I did.

She raced up the tree,
her little feet stepping carefully,
Strategically, from one branch to the next
until she reached the top.
As she caught her breath,
she let the crisp air envelop her
mind and body.
She gazed contently from her perch
At the playground below her,
Feeling invincible.

He kicked the dirt with his old boot
And shook his head
As he watched the dust rise and settle.
If I were a child again,
I’d spend my time doing better things
than playing in a sandbox.
Worthless
He contended,
Then, now and forever.


As the sky began to turn rainbow
And the evening air grew crisp,
She danced her way home.
Lacing in and out of her mother’s legs,
she skipped and twirled,
her mind filled with anticipations
of a sudsy bubble bath
and chocolate ice cream after dinner.

When the sun crept down
And hung low behind the trees,
He started for home,
Trudging along slowly,
Aimlessly.
He scowled at no one in particular
Knowing that the only thing awaiting him
In his empty apartment
Was an old can of beans
And a lifetime more of regret.