Zestful

May days merry in an iridescent coat of spring for girls in flowered dresses jumping rope one at each yellow handle while two dart in and out their laughter and chants bounce in unforeseen direction "Janey and Johnny sitting in a tree K I S S I N G first came love then came..." "skip, skip, skip to my Lou skip to my Lou my darlin'..." more chants that snap in step with a cardio zing girls run in and out of an airborne rope skip, count skip and count like keeping time while the rest of the world roots in trouble careful hops like dancing 'round good luck pennies the snap of the rope smacking pavement as if filling a void till sunset fits broad, passive shadows to faces smirking silvered by the zestful push of youth till one day girls step through the rope without a pause to come to want different things Poem composed May 13/2023