Musings of a Mongoose - 15. Swing Set

I liked to swing
The ground was just a temporary stop
The sky was my destiny
Fueled by the power of my own limbs
I could climb as high as I wanted
I could get higher than the bar
I could circle it if I wanted to
I liked to swing!
I remember when falling backwards was a gift...
When every time I felt the world rushing up behind me it meant I would fly right past it.
I'd see the ground but never hit it
My legs stretched out before me
Like a paper doll caught in an updraft
I'd soar by the mere shape of my identity!
I LIKED TO SWING
But you brought me down to earth
Arms that once held to chains as the vehicle of my freedom
Became bound by the threat of your violence
You promised if I did what you said, I wouldn't get hurt.
It'd be fun, you said
Much more fun than swinging
I... liked to swing
From one extreme to another
What is pleasure if it comes with pain?
What is release if it comes with more chains?
Why did you lock me in here?
I belong to the sky not some underground crawlspace!
Where is my sky?
Why can't I swing anymore, except from mood to mood as I crush every single thought I have that there will ever be escape from this place?
Where was I going?
Why is the bar so high?
What is this weight keeping me down?
Why are you still here?
I liked to swing.
But you stole that from me, didn't you?
Go fuck yourself.
The sky is mine.