Today’s prompt took me somewhere unexpected. Back to childhood, to the sounds of playgrounds and sidewalks, to those simple rhymes we used to chant without thinking. Clapping hands, skipping rope, counting nonsense into something that felt like magic. There’s a kind of music in that—something unpolished and real.
I wanted to capture that feeling. Not just the rhythm, but the lightness of it. The sense that for a moment, nothing else mattered except the game, the laughter, the next line.
So today’s poem leans into that simplicity. A return to something easy. Something playful.
Here’s what came out of it:
Pebble, Pocket, Skip
One, two, tie it tight,
three, four, chase the light,
five, six, pocket tricks,
seven, eight, hop the gate!
Pebble in my shoe goes tap,
clap once, twice—clap-clap-clap!
Turn around, don’t fall down,
laugh so loud you shake the ground.
Nine, ten, start again,
race the wind and count to ten—
skip the cracks, don’t look back,
sun rides high in a yellow track.
Clap-clap, spin and stop,
catch a breeze and watch it drop—
one more time, just for fun,
game’s not over—never done!
If you want to explore more voices answering today’s prompt. Step beyond this page and into the wider current of #NaPoWriMo—where each voice bends the world in its own way. You can find them here: https://napowrimo.net/
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