Welcome to Poetry Friday. Michelle has the roundup today here where she gives us a peek at the Yoko Ono exhibit in Chicago. Be sure to stop by for some much-needed peace and calm and lots of poetry goodness.

My poem for today was inspired by “Skating After School” by Barbara Crooker. Here are her opening lines:

In the space between school and supper,
light flat as a china plate,
sky and ice a single seam
stitched by black trees,
we raced over the railroad tracks,
down an embankment to the frozen pond,
snow embroidering our flannel jeans…

Isn’t that lovely? When I was young, my friends and I would anticipate the first day we could safely ice skate on the lake in the public gardens near where we lived. That memory came to mind after reading Barbara Crooker’s poem. So, when one of this week’s prompts on Georgia Heard’s Writing Invitations was to write about a winter memory from childhood, I returned to that lake with my childhood friends, if only in my mind.

Lake Skating

At the end of the school day
we walk in silence, single file,
Sister standing guard,
to the end of the block…
then run as fast as we can
across the street to Christina’s house
to make the call.

Is the lake safe for skating?
we shout to no one in particular.
An affirmative automated response
sends us into squeals of delight.

We trek six blocks,
skates laced together
dangling around necks
muffled in wool.

On the lake
we glide like the summer swans
who nibble the crusts of our sandwiches,
practice circles and figure 8’s,
link hands as we cut scratches in the ice,
down to the bridge and back,
down to the bridge and back,
down to the bridge and back
until the sun begins to sink.

Only then do we make our way home
arm in arm,
hearts full.
Draft, RoseCappelli2025

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

As the Winter Solstice approaches, may the return of the light bring peace and understanding to our world.