Front Porch Review
A literary magazine for the young at heart and mind

She swung
on the rusty
backyard
swing set
pointing her
bare feet
toward the sun
swinging closer
and closer

And then
the chains melted
and the child
fell to the ground
Tears turned
to steam
halfway
down
her cheeks

A pang of guilt
as her father
watched
from air-conditioned
comfort inside
She looked
to see if he had seen
He waved

By Jason Fisk

Jason Fisk is a husband to one, a father to three, and a teacher to many. He currently lives and writes in the suburbs of Chicago. His long list of employment before becoming a teacher includes working as a mental health professional in a psychiatric unit, working as a line worker in a kitchen cabinet making factory, and mixing cement and putting up scaffolding for a bricklayer. He was born in Ohio, raised in Minnesota, and has spent the last half of his life living in or around Chicago. You can find out more at www.jasonfisk.com. His email address: