Hang On

[Donald Q.]

Revision 1

Hang On

 
In the yard a rope hangs
from the gnarled limb
where you used to swing,     Already getting the macabre suggestion coming in here
a giddy joy knotting
your clenched fists tighter
as you flew. And now  'And'...? perhaps 'but'? Not sure.
 
you turn away from the window, shuffle scrap 'away' maybe. 
with a gait like you’re hampered
by the weight of a toddler clamped   I think there are too many words here; you can remove 'weight'; we understand the implication.
to your leg, and you can only drag If the toddler symbolises the things dragging the character down, maybe describe it more; as you did in version 1
your stubborn limbs across the floor to climb
into your bed. Giddy, Not sure how 'giddy ' fits 
 
you lie awake.  A joyless dream
swings from one use
of that old rope,
 
to the other. I'm not sure if this ending is a bit too explicit, but I like the idea that the 'dream swings..', it's a nice segue. 

Interesting bleak little poem, I you can work on the meter by scrapping the words you don't really need and adding the ones that will make it shine.