Thursday, March 19, 2020

DMC: "Games of Hopscotch" by Dianne Moritz




GAMES OF HOPSCOTCH

In the days of innocence and Eisenhower,
most girls would play their games of hopscotch.
Jay-walking to a vacant lot across the street,
we’d kick away debris and bits of broken glass,
             
              scratch out our game-boards
              on rough cement with pieces
              of chalk snitched from school.

Like kangaroos, we’d hop, hop, hop, jump, hop
turn around, till sweat dripped down our rosy cheeks,
and our lips craved ice-cold cherry Cokes, grape
popsicles from Sweeny’s drugstore down the block.
             
               We’d skip off laughing, hand
               in hand, stepping over wide
               cracks, sparing our mothers’ backs,
               Carefree, happy, high on life.


© 2020 Dianne Moritz. All rights reserved.


TLD reader Tabatha Yeatts has challenged us to write a poem about a game (any kind). Click HERE for more details and to add your poem to the padlet. While some poems will be shared as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, March 27th.



6 comments:

  1. Such a wonderful poem, Dianne! I also loved hopscotch. It was a favorite thing to play on the driveway—with traditional hopscotch boards as well as all sorts of funky different boards with made-up rules from our imaginations. Such fun we had, as you said, "carefree, happy, high on life."

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  2. This is special, Dianne. My granddaughters still play, but don't know about those cherry cokes!

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  3. Hopscotch was a daily occurrence on our block growing up so this poem resonates with me, Dianne. I'm happy to report that the kids in Switzerland still play it. :)

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  4. I remember Hopscotch and cherry Cokes. Your poem takes me back.

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  5. Delightful. This wasn't my life, but while reading this poem, I felt like it was. So good.

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  6. I really enjoyed this, Diane. It's one I'll want to reread. I remember playing hopscotch (in the days of Carter). You made me want a grape popsicle :-)

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