Hop - scotch

 Play Hop-scotch!
that awkward game of chance.
Throw your stone
and see where it might land,
 find yourself
balanced on Flamingo legs,
or if lucky
on stable, solid ground.

We play Hop-scotch
You and I
 each day.
The not knowing being the real fragility
of our existance.
Don't you see?
We will crumble under the intensity.
One day
when we are required to stand
too long
 on single shaky limb
 and find
 ourselves toppling with
no-one
who would even begin
to
try
and break our fall.

Reviews

[Mark D]

I like this, especially the sentiment.

One thing though, I think that hopscotch is a game of skill and not a game of chance? I don't know if that is deliberate in that life consists of chance but we decide our own actions and have to apply skill and hard work to be happy or full.

Either way, it was interesting and a good write but thought i should feed that back.

[New Dawn]

Thanks Mark - guess I feel its a game of both skill and chance - the skill comes with the hopping and bending to collect the stone - the chance - as far as I'm concerned - is in the throwing of the stone - my throwing is appalling so in my case chance definately comes into it. Glad you enjoyed the poem. It was supposed to represent the uncertainties and fragilities of everyday life :)

[TLK]

It's a game of having legs ;-)

[Mark D]

Ahhhh I see what you mean. Like I said I enjoyed the poem a lot, just wanted to share that cause it immediately came to my mind

[John Alexander McFadyen]

This is sad and desperate. A well expressed emotion with such depth conveyed in a short piece. Well done

[New Dawn]

Well in these times of austerity aren't we all playing Hop-scotch until some better game comes along?

[John Alexander McFadyen]

So you are still looking like many of us?

[Jai Garg]

So what is our existence? a game of chance and a nothing to nothing.

[...]

. it really is like that, isn't it ? ... standing on that single shaky limb for too long is what causes the fall ... though we may think it's people or circumstances or both ... without realizing that it's about our own balance ... superbly written ... the flow is excellent ... it's like reading a poem that's been written in one shot ... powerful and insightful work, dear shelley ...

[Dr. Wood ?]

great analogy here...I have never thought of life as a game of Hop Scotch, but it does make sense. We all live a life of chance and we all have periods of imbalance and stability...Great poem and a terrific subject

[New Dawn]

Thank you - not sure where this came from but once it got started it wrote itself. Glad you liked it.

[Dr. Wood ?]

My stuff does the same to me...just creeps on in and sneaks out of that pen...It is a good sign that you write like that...shows a natural gift...