My swing creaks lazily back and forth,

Back and forth, back and forth.



My heartbeats,
Once pumping in a stressful pattern,

Slowly replicate the swings pace,
The wonderfully simple motion of

Back and forth, back and forth.

My legs sprawl comfortably along
The length of the porch swing,











My head resting easily of the well-worn pillow

Borrowed from the sofa,
Back and forth, back and forth I swing.

My ears take in the sounds of a

Suffocating small town
I admit to often overlooking.



A neighbor’s phone rings three times,
Resonating through the tiny holes of an aluminum screen door,



A stray dog’s exuberant lope can be heard,





Independence flavoring his barks,

And the surprisingly calm hum of a distant lawn mower,

It’s vibrating sound providing the baseline of my symphony



As back and forth, back and forth I swing.

My skin absorbs the tenderly soft sunlight



Of the late-evening,













Just before everything is tucked in under a blanket of darkness.














The sky’s delicious blends of peach, lavender, and rosy-pink
















Makes me wish I was able to taste the clouds,
While back and forth, back and forth I swing.


Satisfied and content,







My eyes wander from this near-heavenly scene,







To seek the final component of my happiness-









The story resting between my hands.









I attempt to read a few more pages








Before the sun becomes less generous









Back and forth, back and forth I swing.