This week as we continue to shelter at home, I’m encouraged by the families with young children spending quality time together. My neighbors have three boys (God bless them), and they live with her parents, so their house is full. I watch through my kitchen window each night as they emerge for their evening activities of bike riding, skateboarding, and chalk drawing.
When I saw Jen’s photo of her youngest covered in chalk, I asked permission to use it here. To me, it was begging to be a poem. This low stakes writing invites you to quick-write a poem of 15 words or fewer to capture your impression of the image. Leave your poem in the comments and try to come back to comment on other poems.
Chalk-a-bration*
Barefoot is best
Margaret Simon, draft
when creating
a sidewalk
masterpiece.
*This term was started by Betsy Hubbard of the Two Writing Teachers
Reflections on the Teche 
Good Morning, Margaret.
At first I thought this was your little one…but your little one is a bit litteR. Thank you for the photo. It is beautiful. I took this draft in a direction that your neighbor might not have seen? My experiences and background led me to these words. In no way am I making any comment on the actual boy in the actual photo…only a personal connection that is thousands of miles and years away.
Pride
Our sidewalk
happily wears
a rainbow
drawn by a barefoot boy
in purple beads
today
I appreciate your opening caveat, but for me there was no need for it: this child is celebrating the rainbow truth. Hopefully someday we can celebrate that without apology – which is why I love the “today” at the end of your poem.
Something tells me they will love it as much as I do. Drawing a rainbow is appropriate for any day. Looking for the pot of gold after this current storm.
Love the happiness and acceptance of your poem. Gives me a little hope for us all.
Haiku:
Bare feet firmly fixed
He covers his world in color
Recreating ours
“Recreating ours.” I love that connection to newness and hope.
Love that you start with those feet fixed–I was taken with how engrossed this youngster seems and those feet show it!
The creative task at hand
requires proper attire
a single Mardi Gras bead to inspire!
Don’t you love how boys can wear a Mardi Gras bead anytime? Thanks for joining in the poetry fun today.
Creativity
One final journey
On the imagination train
Before bed.
Sweet dreams!
Chalk Artist
Colorful galaxy swirls
on your driveway,
colorful stardust
swirls on your clothes.
Love the stardust metaphor.
Got my magic purple beads
Got my shirt of midnight sky
Got my fairy dust on my feet
On my cotton-candy cloud I fly
Love that fairy dust and cotton candy cloud! Thanks for playing today.
Sidewalk Artist
Small feet grip
rough concrete.
Squatting like a frog
on a rock
the boy draws.
Janice, I am thinking of making a lesson for my students around observation and evidence and would like to use your poem to show this. Thanks for such a great description.
You are welcome, Margaret. I’m so glad to be involved in your teaching.