Day 288: Seesaw

Seesaw
by
Matt Zurbo

 

On the seesaw, sister and brother,
in a playground like no other!

First they see only each other,
pulling faces despite Mumma!

Then they sing songs and dance,
using a string, pulled tight by cans.

Farts and screams, up and down,
echoing out all over town.
(Both on seesaw. Sister on the down, screaming into her can, brother standing on the up, farting into his.)

Wow, they rise, a little more,
see other kids having a ball!
(Sister up, looking down on other kids in playground.)

Still their job is not done,
they go higher, higher, just for fun.
(Sister on the down, brother on the up, rising off seesaw, into the sky.)

Each time one goes in the air,
they have to dodge the eagles there.
(Sister.)

Higher, higher, higher, please!
Passed the kites, above the trees!
(Brother on the up, surrounded by nothing but air and kites.)

Then when one land on their end,
the other shoots up again!
(Half the kids from playground looking down, the other half looking way up.)

Mum and Dad look awful stressed
While their kids yell: “THIS IS THE BEST!”
(Mum and Dad fretting. One looking way up, the other looking way down.)

Looking down on this and that,
any higher THEY’D GO SPLAT!
(Brother, at apex of accent, a good few feet above the top of the seesaw, hand above eyes, looking down towards ground.) 

Soon, they’re both scaring planes!
Pulling faces, being pains!
(Sister, at apex of accent, pulling a face at people in plane.)

And still higher they go…
(Brother popping up in storm cloud, startling storm god.)

Into clouds, to-and fro!
(Sister popping up in storm could, behind storm god, who is turning, even more startled.)

Soon enough, the air gets thin…
Right up where the planet spins.
(Sister on end of seesaw, in outer space, curve of the Earth behind her.)

While one is impossibly high,
the other grinds into years gone by.
(Brother on the down, in hole made by seesaw, surrounded by earth with human skeletons at the top, and dinosaur skeletons lower.)

Brother lands on the moon first,
stepping off admiring the Earth.
(Stepping off seesaw end.)

He has a chat to a silver bloke,
with a crescent head and dapper cloak.
(Man in the moon.)

“Oh,” he says, “The adventures out there…
In a place without air or care.”
(Man in moon telling tales. Lunar landing gear and Silver moon dragon in background.)

Meanwhile sister, down below,
waits in a cave for brother to go.
(Girl, holding a candle in dark of cave. Seesaw seat behind her, lots of bats hanging from cave ceiling.)

Bats and echoes everywhere.
Plenty to give a girl a scare.

But she meets and greets, of all things,
the ghosts of peasants and kings.

Brother and sister both having a ball,
(Brother stepping back onto seesaw, waving good-bye to man in the moon, and silver moon dragon.)

until once more they rise and fall.
(Sister hanging onto end of seesaw, as it rises.)

Finally the two of them balance,
looking across a great distance.
(Seesaw long. They sit, either side, balanced in the sky.)

Brother juggles, just because,
while sister skips without pause.

People shouting; “GET DOWN FROM THERE!”
while they do tricks up in the air!

Soon one slips, making the other follow.
Tumbling down without a sorrow.
(Both falling, smiling, juggling balls everywhere. Sister being slowed by a frilly umbrella.)

(Brother and sister landing with a puff of dust.)

Dusting off, they go again.
Seesaw, seesaw, until day’s end.
(Sister dusting off, while brother is climbing back onto seesaw, which is normal size.)

Having fun, up and down,
avoiding a dull life, on the ground.
(Long shot of them on ordinary seesaw.)

 

 

 

The End