My first poem for Thursday September 11 2025 In The Twilight of My Years Jill

[jill stockinger]

Dear Compadres,

I wrote this poem using prompts from my "twice-a-month" Jewish Community Center-San Francisco writing group, that meets only on Zoom.

Here is my poem.

I used "bars" which was the First prompt, and I used the word "leaves," a reworking from the Second prompt, "a leaf on the pavement."  

But I AM sending this for our Thursday discussion on September 11, 2025.  Jill

Jill Stockinger

 

In the Twilight of My Years,

I pass the bars on the school playground,

the jungle gym and monkey bar,

throwing dark geometric shadows.

I see the golden leaves in a crisp skirt

around the aspen starting to turn brown.

I remember when girls only played

with girls, and boys stayed with boys.

When a whistle would stop our play

and we’d troop back to our classrooms.

I remember the day a row of children 

passed your ring to me and I wore it

proudly on a chain around my neck.

Fourth grade; what did we know

of relationships? We never

even kissed. But I still remember

the other girls’ envious looks.

 

 And to answer your question before it is even asked,

I went steady with a boy named Bobby DeLosh in the fourth grade.

I hardly knew him, but I was excited about the "idea" of "going steady,"

so I said, "Yes." And he didn't ask me verbally. He sent me the ring, with

a note, asking me to go steady. A row of kids passed me the ring and note!

And I happened to be wearing a necklace (which I did not wear every day)

and I put the ring on the necklace.

And when I got home, my sister (two years older) told on me, and I got into trouble for wearing his ring.

I think that happened around April so our "going steady" only "lasted" until the end of school in June. I think I gave

him back the ring the last week of school. I don't think we were even in the same classroom the coming year.   Jill