We skip stones on the lake, not well
Collecting them from the rubble of castle walls
Disintegrating before our eyes
Chunks thunk down in warning like God’s wrath
Meets capital punishment for those
Inside the square, but we are not there
We dart between the largest rocks,
Abscond with the simplest prize
The stones run across the rippled sunset
Carrying our childhood away
How We Grow Up
Jennifer Ruth Jackson is an award-winning poet and fiction writer whose work has appeared in Red Earth Review, Banshee, and more. She runs a blog for disabled and neurodivergent creatives called The Handy, Uncapped Pen from an apartment she shares with her husband. Follow her on Twitter @jenruthjackson.