We walk down to the swing
She raises her hands asking to be pick up and seated
When seated she happily holds the ropes
Moving her body forwards and backwards with the swing
I sing to her:
Seesaw Margery Daw
Mommy shall have a new master
She shall earn but a penny a day
Because she can’t work any faster
She sings to me:
Thee thaw dow
La la la la la dow
And the daily drudgery melts away
I sing to her:
Thee thaw dow
La la la la la dow
She giggles in her toddler’s deep belly laughter that makes the world go round
We sing together, as the swing moves up and down, our voices touch in a moment of joyful oblivion.
My neighbor peeps over the fence, semi-curious and half-bewildered. We laughingly acknowledge his presence, and I throw-in a humorous explanation: you see, we are in the midst of reinventing the rhyme. He smilingly replies: well, it seems you have a rhyme all to yourselves, and then leaves us to our swing and song.