Stone Soup

Where young artists paint the world with words

The international magazine of stories, poems, and art by young writers and artists. Published continuously since 1973.

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Back Down to Earth

The wind is in my hair as I kick with my foot
The rhythm of my wheels on the cracks of the sidewalk
Thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump
The curb is coming to meet me at the end of the block
It draws closer and closer
Its short drop seeming like a cliff
I lean back slightly, about to go off
And then it happens
That sweet split-second in which I am flying, untouched
by worldly problems
Just flying
Then, as my wheels touch down, the entire world
comes back in a single gust of wind
Thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump
Back down to earth on my skateboard

Back Down to Earth Jacob Dysart
Jacob Dysart, 13
Long Beach, California