“Swing me, swing me high!” my granddaughter Stella called to me as I pushed the swing. Our next door neighbors have moved. For as long as we have lived in this house, 19 years, we have shared yard space with our neighbors. They recently moved to be closer to their grandchildren, but they left behind one of my grandchildren’s favorite things, the baby swings. They hang from a strong live oak arm. This photo looks out at Stella, 3, swinging and watching the bayou for boats. Off to the left is our ever faithful grandmother oak. She holds a rope swing that my grandchildren are not yet strong enough to hold onto. They enjoy throwing it back and forth, holding on and falling down.
If I ever need reminding to love my life, I should look upon this photo. I invite you to find where it takes you. Is it back to a past time? Do you have grandchildren or children who love to swing? I haven’t met a child yet that doesn’t love swinging. I recently saw an Instagram post about how swinging helps kids regulate their bodies.
Swinging stimulates different parts of a child’s brain simultaneously. Swinging helps the brain develop skills such as spatial awareness, balance, rhythm, and muscle control. Even a quiet moment on a swing can help a child regulate their sensory system and help them develop the ability to adapt to different sensations.
From Mosaic Health and Rehab
Besides the benefits, swinging is simple, free fun! Write a small poem in the comments. Come back to this post if you can to read other poems and offer your encouraging support. Sign up to follow my blog if you’d like to join this weekly writing prompt.
Set me in motion
Margaret Simon, haiku draft
Swing me to the highest high
Where I freely fly
Reflections on the Teche 
My daughter and I used to sing our own little made-up song, creating endless verses. Some of my fondest memories!
I like to swing, I like to swing
Flying high like bird like a bird in the sky
I like to swing , I like to swing
I like the air blowing through my hair
I like to swing, I like to swing
Flying free up over the trees
I like to swing, I like to swing
etc, etc- whatever you think of
Thanks for sharing your made-up song. I love it.
Sweet memories, Diane!
Lovely song and memories–flying free over the trees captures the wonder of swinging!
Wonderful!
Diane, your made-up song is delightful. I enjoy making up songs as well. Repetition is a strong point in your song-poem.
Margaret, I read your title and one thing came to mind: my favorite scene from Charlotte’s Web where Avery and Fern are in the barn, swinging, and EB White reminds us, “Children always hold onto things tighter than their parents think they will.” It warms my heart to see your picture and to know that the swings were shared and space was shared and then there comes the time to leave or move, but leaving something of importance and tradition for future dwellers is like leaving a part of self, of legacy, of future to carry on. My grandchildren have indoor swings of heavy jute, made in knots of macrame and hardwood, and when the laughter is needed – – the swing is there. Thank you for sharing this today! My husband proposed to me on a swing.
This response has an elfchen poem inside:
Children
hold on
to things shared.
When love is needed,
Swing
Kim, I enjoyed your elfchen poem. It is becoming one of my favorite poetic formats. The last two lines are endearing.
Love how this photo stirred so many memories from books to kids to romance.
Your post brought memories and the realization of how important swinging really was…
I have fond memories of my children and grandchildren swinging. Your photo and poem brought them all back, Margaret. They also bring to mind Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Swing.” Here’s what came to mind for me today:
to and fro
high and low
fast and slow
here we go!
I can imagine kiddos chanting this while singing!
Oh, yes! Definitely a chant—over and over and over!
This small rhyming verse goes well with the photo.
Rose, your poem has a singsong beat to it. It is simple and probably a fun one for children to repeat.
eyeing a calm creek–
great blue heron seeks fish,
toddler takes flight.
–Buffy Silverman
Love this contrast of the two so-different images—stillness of a heron seeking food and flying child!
Lovely haiku! “Toddler takes flight” I love the way that line sounds.
The creek, the heron, the fish, the toddler – a story!
I love the photo of the water and swing. It makes it even better that this is a shared space and swing. A perfect day!
Margaret, what a wonderful image—”to the highest high” created such emotion—I loved to swing and can’t wait to swing my little granddaughter.
BY MYSELF
Please teach me how to swing so high
to bend my legs and pump—
I promise I’ll hold oh-so-tight,
I promise I won’t jump!
I really want to learn the way
to get the swing to fly,
to back-and-forth it by myself
while staring at the sky!
Draft, Carol Coven Grannick
Your poem fits well with this particular grandchild. She is so self-determined and wants to do it herself. She still has a little fear of swinging alone.
A perfectly rational, reasonable fear…In fact, probably something that would be important to include if I do something else with this poem.
Nice rhythm for a poem about swinging!
Thanks, Rose!
Carol, what a delightful poem. it brings to mind the independent stage children mature in to.
Thank you, Carol!
Love the photo, Margaret, and your accompanying poem. By chance, my class wrote a poem about swinging just yesterday. Here it is:
Swing Time
Back and forth
Back and forth
Higher and higher
Higher and higher
Creak!
Creak!
Whoosh!
The wind swishes by
I fly
as high
as a bird.
Tell your little ones that I love the use of repetition and onomatopoeia!
Molly, I like the imagery in the poem and the onamonapeia used.
Thank you, Margaret, for the reminder to take the grandgirls to the park one day. They do love to swing.
Outdoor Pleasure
flying into the bluest sky
grandgirls scream
grandma sighs
CV draft