Poetry & Prose by Carol J Forrester
At primary school I learnt how to skip.
It was one of those games
that didn’t require someone else
to hold the rope,
unless you wanted them to.
It could be singular
or plural
and I could pretend playing by myself
was a choice.
Check out this monday’s prompt over at dVerse Poets Pub. Could you write a poem in just 44 words?
Carol J Forrester is a writer and a history geek. Her debut collection 'It's All In The Blood' came out November 2019. She has a 2:1 BA degree in history from Bath Spa University, enjoys judo at least twice a week, and tries to attend poetry events around the Midlands when she can. Her flash fiction story ‘Glorious Silence’ was named as River Ram Press’ short story of the month for August 2014 and her short story ‘A Visit From The Fortune Teller’ has been showcased on the literary site Ink Pantry. Her poems ‘Sunsets’ and ‘Clear Out‘ were featured on Eyes Plus Words, and two of her poems were included in the DVerse Poets Pub Publication ‘Chiaroscuro’ which is available for purchase on amazon.Her poem ‘Until The Light Gets In‘ was accepted and published at The Drabble and her poem ‘Newborn’ was published by Ink Sweat & Tears. She has been lucky enough to write guest posts for sites such as Inky Tavern and Song of The Forlorn and has hosted a number of guest bloggers on her site Writing and Works. View all posts by Carol J Forrester
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Ohhhhhh. There’s a small, singular sadness in this. But also a determination. Well done, Carol.
Thank you. 🙂
Oh my heart, those last two lines. I wonder how many of us along the way pretended it was a choice. But determination in this – a moving along in spite of…
I like to think that determination and sheer stubbornness and two of my best traits. 🙂
🙂
That last line make this so heartbreaking… wonderful how to provide a twist.
Thank out Bjorn, I seem to have made everyone miserable though.
Good poetry can make you cry.
Marvelous how you took me skipping right back to those days. Magnificent!
Thank you. 🙂
What a great end! You’ve got us skipping along with you in joyful abandon, and then suddenly the skipping is loneliness.
Thank you. I re-worked the ending a few times, it was a tricky one to write.
A great image of time past… I feel like the reader skips back with you. Great job.
Thank you, I’m glad the writing gave that impression.
You’ve taken a simple game and used it to illustrate such a complex emotion. Beautiful.
Thank you.
This is so poignant. Playground “politics” can be so cruel.
Unfortunately so and it very much is playground politics.
It makes my heARt
so happy to see parents
and children skipping together
iN Super-Walmart..
oh to
skip
art
is to stick
together
in warm
and fuzzy
dance shoes of LiFe..:)
Very poignant. Liked very much.
Thank you.
Yeah, it wasn’t always easy to be included on the playground was it? This packed a punch, Carol.
Thank you. I played around with a few ideas before settling on this one. Skipping used to be something I did loads and I think the fact I was trying and failing to hoola-hoop the other day reminded me of those childhood things that I’ve lost the knack for.
Lovely. The last lines were haunting- the playground can be a lonely place for some.
It can be indeed. We just have to find where we fit in better.
awwwww….this made me smile so sadly. I picture the little girl standing alone on the playground…for some children, school and especially recess is a very difficult place.
It can be. Looking back, I didn’t have a bad childhood but I did find it tricky to find where I fitted in.
It can be hard — and criteria for fitting in can shift from day to day…
Yes, I remember…the skipping was fun but being skipped was not. You captured the emotion!
Thank you I’m glad you think so.
oh my, this hurts. playgrounds can be cruel places
Yes they can. Thank you for reading.
Oh Carol! This is just so familiar and the final lines caught in my heart. I thought it was normal to be in the corner on my own and a privilege if someone invited me to join in. School was often very cruel unless it involved reading and writing!
School can be cruel and children especially so. Reading defiantly became my happy place for a reason.
A self-motivated child will always come out on top!
Indeed.
This broke my heart!
Aw, I’m sorry.
Oh how sad. I’d have skipped with you.
Thank you. 🙂
Ah yes, I remember exactly what you say! (I never got very good at it, but good enough to look as if I was practising intently.)