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Amy Baskin

see saws and other perils

kick and push spin 
as fast as we can, we laugh
we’re never getting off

we’re always getting off
on the cuts, the scrapes
our rough and tumble play

wandering alone, unsupervised
hanging our heads over the sides
our knuckles scrape asphalt

we pull bark chips from our hair
find new ways to scrape our knees
we laugh ourselves silly until

our sides cramp and then we laugh
some more— we will never stop the ride
only fools jump off

and stay off
what causes dizziness in adults
why could we once spin for hours
now we huddle in the middle
 
so we won’t get as sick— is it more
neurological or psychological,
this fear of being harmed

this going round in circles hurts
more than the broken arms, the cuts
the late nights out with music
 
under the spinning stars
replaced by the reassurance
of steady early bird specials

when the tall metal slides
are replaced with short plastic and
see saws and other perils

are removed
it’s the end of
10 foot-high jungle gyms

we will refuse
to let them take 
our merry-go-round
we will stay on

when do some lose
their ability to spin endlessly--
Eustachian tubes
 
gape open from swallowing
and holding back tears
we equalize the pressure

we hold hands across the divide
refusing to jump
bodies pulled outwards 
 
away from each other
centrifugal force goads us
to separate

get off in opposing directions
is it stubborn or resilient to refuse
to let go
​
again
let’s do it again
only fools stay on
and still get off

Biography

Picture
Amy Baskin (she/her) has work featured in Bear Review, River Heron Review, Kai Coggin's Wednesday Night Poetry, and forthcoming in Pirene's Fountain. She is a former Oregon Literary Arts Fellow, a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, and an Oregon Poetry Association prize winner. When not writing, she matches international students at Lewis & Clark College with local residents to help them feel welcome and at home during their time in Oregon.
 
            Twitter: @AmyBaskin 
            Instagram: @AmyBaskinWrites 
            Facebook: @AmyBaskinWrites  
            Goodreads: @AmyBaskinWrites 
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  • Home
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  • Issues
    • Issue 49
    • Issue 48
    • Issue 47
    • Issue 46
    • Issue 45
    • Issue 44
    • Issue 43
    • Issue 42
    • Issue 41
    • Issue 40
    • Issue 39
    • Issue 38
    • Issue 37
    • Issue 36
    • Issue 35
    • Issue 34
    • Issue 33
    • Issue 32
    • Issue 31
    • Issue 30
    • Issue 29
    • Issue 28
    • Issue 27
    • Issue 26
    • Issue 25
    • Issue 24
    • Issue 23
    • Issue 22
    • Issue 21
    • Issue 20
    • Issue 19
    • Issue 18
    • Serenity
    • Issue 17
    • The Audio Room
    • Issue 16
    • Issue 15
    • Issue 14
    • Play It Again
    • Issue 13
    • Issue 12
    • Issue 11
    • Issue 10
    • Issue 9
    • Issue 8
    • Issue 7
    • Issue 6
    • Hand to Mouth
    • Issue 5
    • Issue 4
    • Issue 3
    • Issue 2
    • Issue 1
  • Submissions