Once Upon a Time

Winters frost subsides
without a trace
of its cruelty

Leaves from shaken limbs
once trapped by fallen snow
now dart across the yard like broken pinwheels

They spin themselves here and there
until they lie under the swing
where the shadows of you and I linger

"Push me higher daddy
push me higher"
the shrill echo batters my mind

Frigid winds swing an empty tire
images meld as tears flow
tricking my mind in that moment

Once upon a time, used to start my stories,
now they are useless,
save to be used as simple words of fact.

© 1999 C.E. Skilling