What do you say to an eight year old girl?

What do you say to an eight year old girl?

You’re swinging alone on the swings at

New York Elementary School.

Not too high, just slightly back and forth,

slightly up and down.

You have an old man’s stomach.

Kids are running around.

Balls are being kicked,

bounced.

A boy dodges this way.

Another slides on the ground feet first.

A girl’s shoe laces cross over and skip.

They’re making up most of the rules

as they go.

And then you see a girl running towards you.

Her coat is unzipped, 

flapping.

Her hair is flying.

She’s a blur.

And then she’s sitting in the empty swing 

next to you.

She tells you, go higher.

Go higher, she tells you.

You look for words.

You try to tell her,

It doesn’t quite make my stomach lurch,

It doesn’t quite make my stomach queasy,

but it does quite make my stomach uneasy.

She laughs at ‘uneasy.’

Quite.

Then she kicks her feet and swings.

Higher and higher she swings.

Her coat flaps.

Her hair flies.

She’s a blur.

And then you pull on the chains.

Higher you go.

You can’t bend your knees,

the ground beneath your feet is too close.

But you pull on the chains and go higher –

still higher you go.

What do you say to an eight year old girl?

You say woo.

Woooooo.

Woooooo.

Woooooo.