In Poetry: Playground

Originally Written by Lee Ivy L. Acevedo

Posted with permission

I was there again,

In the river where we used to play with my friends,

The water from the cave beside it was still clear,

But the river looked different.

I thought something strange had changed.

For the last years it was still playable,

We had even spent time soaking our bodies in it.

But now floating on it were crumpled toiletries,

empty beaten cans,

and rotten skins of coconut and pomelo.

From the bridge already rotten,

Naked children jumped off, just like we used to.

The splashing sound of water reached me,

But it doesn’t feel cool anymore.

I shuddered at the thought

of the water pinching my skin.

I woke up from my sleep

And took off my headphone,

Wishing I had a better dream.

This poem was featured in dagmay.kom.ph-- a Literary Journal of the Davao Writers Guild. The author was a student in UP Mindanao with a course in Creative Writing.

See more of her poem at www.dagmay.kom.ph