THE SCHOOL YARDBy Lacey Johnson

It starts in stillness and ends in silenceBare and purposeless for those quiet hoursThe moments in betweenAll the life that it holdsBut for that short time it breathes

A bell rings; it comes to life with the pound of running

feetSharp bursts of laughter, shouts and hellos

New sounds emerge

And blend confusingly

In a strange cacophony of sound

The soft whip of a circling tetherball stringAnd the ring of a bounced rubber ballAnd the snap as a Jump rope smacksRhythmically on the pavement

Now and then pleasant sounds are interrupted

Halting laughter with cries of distress

The thud of falling bodies

The raw sting of skinned knees

Rough pebbles embedded into the skin

Playground monitors with tired eyes interveneOffering comfort in the form of band-aidsA tissue to dry tearsA pat on the backAnd harmony is restored once again

The smell of plastic in the sun

And the aroma of grassy fields

Mingle with dirt, With blood and sweat

Fusing in a scent unique and free

Bright shirts and jean shorts blur togetherZipping down slides and climbing on barsAnd tennis shoes runAcross faded yellow linesPainted long ago on the asphalt

The bell rings again and it is silent once more

The only sounds the ghostly echoes

Of laughter and tears

And the creak of a

Swing swaying slowly in the wind

Pictures found on Google images