Jump Ropes
Where did they go?
They used to be everywhere
in good weather,
those wobbly parabolas.
Little girls, holding
one end in each hand,
twirled the ropes
into spinning doorways,
string lintels,
stepping over them,
rhythmically, lightly,
over and over,
carried by song.
The beat of the rope
against the hard ground
kept time for the breath
of the skipping girls.
Where did they go?
Into air?
Into the ground?
Into echoes
all around?
Into cadences
everywhere?
Leslie Schultz
I know, right! Online I found lovely videos, one of a tiny Chinese girl expertly skipping rope, one (from a series called “Phys Kid” that encourages physical activity in children) from Australia, I think, very sweet, of a camp counselor teaching a young girl, step by step, how to skip rope. I remember my grand-aunt Doris would skip rope when she was in her fifties, and she used one with weighted handles for more strength training. Makes me think I should look into it for myself!
This is a fun one, Leslie. Also gives me pause. Where DID they do? I look out over elementary and middle school playgrounds and can hear balls bouncing, the creak of swings and distinctive sound of scooters and skateboards and yelling and laughing but never do I hear or see a jump rope! Hmmm. I’ll have to ask my 7 and 9 year old neighbors if they’ve ever used a jump rope! Get that started again even though I was awful at it.