Learning to Jump Rope (Poem)

Learning to Jump Rope

     after Lisa Hess Hesselgrave's 'Jumprope, Pink Room'

A whale will not sing for your rescue.
A porpoise will not swim by your side.
You are where you don't belong.
You must not be alone.
Your wrists will begin to ache
at a quarter to three,
your mouth be dry as the sawdust
that fills the guts of your Babydoll.
You must know you are not
in hot water,
though at eight your mother
will draw your bath and rub aloe
into your pinked skin and promise
to put away that jumprope
for another day.
Kids can be so mean.

© 2014 Maureen E. Doallas
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This ekphrastic poem, inspired by Lisa Hess Hesselgrave's painting Jumprope, Pink Room (found in the section of Hesselgrave's Website titled Bad (and Good) Children), was first published at TweetSpeakPoetry as part of the Image-ine series.