Russell Blair Is Swinging Through The Day And The Night And We Don’t Know If He’ll Ever Come Down

Russell Blair is swinging through the day and the night
And we don’t know if he’ll ever come down.

It was 3:45 and just an ordinary day
But things were gonna get weird in an unexpected way.
We went over to the playground, slid down the slides and climbed on things
Then I saw Russell Blair walking over to the swings.

Russell Blair is swinging through the day and the night
And we don’t know if he’ll ever come down.

The swing was a little high but he climbed on with a thump
Then he asked the teacher to show him how to pump.
She gave him a push, said, “Stretch your legs forward and pull back.”
She didn’t know how quickly Russell Blair would get on track.

Soon Russell Blair was swinging through the day and the night
And no one knew if he’d ever come down.

The teacher called the class to come over and line up
But little Russell Blair just continued to pump.
“I’ll take the class in,” said the teacher. “You’ll have to stay and wait.”
“I’ve got dinner at seven,” her aide said, “I don’t want to break my date.”

But Russell Blair was swinging through the day and the night
And who knew when he’d ever come down.

Russell’s dad came to get him and the teacher gave her report,
“I’m afraid if you check the attendance, you’ll see we’re one child short.
Russell is on the swings and we can’t get him to stop.
Please take this blanket for my assistant. I’m sure her goosebumps are starting to pop.”

Russell Blair is swinging through the day and the night
And who knows when he’ll ever go home.

Russell’s dad went to the playground and called, “Time to go home, son.”
Russell said, “Two more minutes, Dad. I’m really having fun.
I am a little hungry so you face north cuz I face south
And if you toss fair I can catch some Goldfish crackers in my mouth.”

Now Russell Blair is eating on the swing in the night
But can he drink before he has to come down?

Russell’s dad got a space heater and a super extension cord.
He plugged it in and dragged it next to Russell’s swing in the yard.
That’s how his dad made sure no matter how high Russell goes,
When he’s on the downswing he has a chance to warm his toes.

Now Russell’s tummy’s full and he’s got heat for the night
But if he falls asleep, he’ll surely come down.

When school opened the next morning, Russell’s swing was in the air.
We could see the rosy sunrise painting streaks on his black hair.
The cook came out and said, “Russell, this is a mistake.
We’re having peaches and sausage for breakfast plus your favorite thing- pancakes.”

Russell Blair’s been swinging through the day and the night.
Will it be pancakes bringing him down?

Russell said, “Save me some pancakes but you’re really out of luck.
I won’t come down unless you guarantee me the green truck.
Teacher told me yesterday, ‘Tomorrow, you’ll be first’
And I’ll stop swinging only if she brings the truck with her.”

It looks like Russell Blair’s been swinging through the day and the night
So when the toys came out he’d be first in line.

Russell’s teacher came to the playground and she said, “You goofy boy.
I can’t believe you’d stay here all night swinging for a toy.
I haven’t been here long and so I guess you never heard
That when it comes to kids and toys I always keep my word.”

And Russell dragged his feet then first the left then the right.
His teacher caught him when he stopped and slid down.
I saw him walking, swinging hands with his new teacher, his new friend.
He says he trusts her, no more swinging at night.

That’s the story of Russell swinging through the day and the night.
He’s eating and driving now.
That’s all.

Like Christmas

Nina went right up and over the fence.
While I was dithering,
Using a broom and rake as improvised tongs,
Not wanting to set a bad example-
The children hadn’t climbed THAT yet-
She was up and then down.
A moment’s pause to massage the tender parts of her that met the pointy parts of the fence
And she was there beside K’Sean’s boot.
It was the linchpin in a chain of inevitable actions:
K’Sean’s boot falls off
Russell grabs it and runs
A teacher gives chase
The boot is thrown to an almost inaccessible location.
Standing in a pile of similarly fated toys,
She picked up K’Sean’s boot and handed it over the fence.
“Can I have that pink bucket?” Chaylia said.
“Sure. What else do you want?”
They all started shouting out toys.
As fast as they named it, Nina scooped it up and tossed it over the fence.
Toys were flying through the air; It looked like Christmas.
“Say ‘thank you’. Say ‘thank you’,” I bawled; Some did.
Then, except for an old sock, Nina was alone
Surrounded by the fence
Surrounded by the playground of children gleefully discovering their old toys.

Giant Squid Hinders Toilet Teaching

The teacher said, “It’s time for toilet training.”
But I’m not ready.
Using the big potty at school
Is really lonely.
You’re in that room all by yourself
When the teacher shuts the door.
Sometimes a friend of yours shuts the light off
And then you’re stuck-
You don’t want to yell like a baby
But you can’t get up to turn it back on.
And there’s something else.
I probably shouldn’t tell you.
You’ll think it’s silly.
My older brother told me a giant squid lives in the sewer
And sometimes, when you’re on the potty,
It snakes up a tentacle and grabs you.
I haven’t been doing this long.
I mean it’s hard for me to stand and aim
But I don’t want to sit down and then go missing.
Diaper-changes are nice.
You’re on the table in the light.
Your teacher is there.
Sometimes she blows on your belly.
Sometimes she gives you a toy to hold.
She asks you how you’ve been doing.
She says, “Omigod! Look at that poo!”
It’s all nice and bright and safe.
Teacher says, “Everyone’s different.”
I guess potty training’s just not right for me.

Wayward Wind

The wind played bashful, at first,
Scraping its toe in the dust at the edge of the playground.
Tossing up bubbles and Cottonwood wishies
Then deftly catching them
Before
They hit the ground.
These tricks met with approval
So the wind grew bolder and more eager for attention.
It tugged at the girls’ skirts and whipped their hair around their faces.
It stole the ball from the four-square game and shoved the kids on trikes.
It egged on fights by taking one child’s words,
Conflating them with another’s,
Subtracting the original meanings
Before hurling the mess into a third child’s face.
The teachers, bullied into an ever-tightening knot,
Announced the end of playtime,
Herded their students up and
Folded them into the warm protection of the classroom.
Alone, the wind howled and kicked at the swings.
But if you don’t play nice, you won’t have any friends at all.

Diplomacy

I know they’ll send me to “time out”
But I think I’m gonna hit you.
Yep, that’s the rule: you hit, you sit.
Still, I think I’m gonna hit you.
I used my words first but you shook your head “No”
When I said, “May I please have the car?”
I tried again, “Please? Teacher told us to share.”
Nice words haven’t got me real far.
The thing is though I want to play outside
And the teacher is right over there.
Aw, forget the time out.
I’ll wait till you’re not looking
And then I’ll rub snot in your hair.