Pages

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Ribbon Roping


I bet the thing you are missing most about the Olympics
 are those flexible girls twirling leftover New Year's Eve decorations. 

 I know I am.
As a little girl,
I can remember flinging myself around the living room 
in the flouncy white slip that I usually only wore on Sundays.

I always imagined that I looked as graceful as these
lithe little ribbon skippers.

In fact, I crashed into the furniture with regularity
and never went a day without a scabby patch or giant bruise
on my skinny knobby legs.

I wore them like olympic medals.


 
This poor girl obviously never had anyone to jump rope with.
But she invented her own little game 
and by Jiminy,
it took her all the way to the Olympics! 


I never did use a ball in my childhood routines.
My brothers would have killed me for using their good basketball 
and besides, it was usually a little on the flat side from the bullhead stickers
picked up on the dirt court where they shot baskets 
into the net nailed to the side of the barn.

If I'd only had a leotard
I could have been a contender.






8 comments:

Lisa Ricard Claro said...

If I tried to move like that I'd . . . well, lets just not go there. It isn't pretty. When these girls were in college I wonder if they ever jumped into contortions at frat parties after a couple rounds of beer pong just to, you know, make the frat guys worry someone had spiked the keg. Something to ponder.

RoeH said...

Some of those captured photos. My goodness. I think I'm blushing. I have to wonder what I would look like in that leotard. Especially . . . . . well, never mind. :)

Unknown said...

I know I tried the same things. I think the pictures of me wouldn't look this great though. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure my body has never bent in those ways.

Pondside said...

I actually HAD the leotard and that (with a three-way mirror) is what scared me off from EVER entering the Games. I could have been a contender!
Up hear we don't use basket balls and ribbons, but lacrosse sticks and hockey pucks. It keeps us on our toes - which is exactly where every Olympic Gymnast wants to be.

karen said...

Yep, you and your Sunday slip, and me and my baton (I took at least 3 lessons!) - we coulda been contenders for sure.

Connie said...

So sorry you missed your calling in life, I am sure the leotard would have made the difference but then again, it's never to late to learn something new. You go girl and please have someone with a good camera standing nearby, I can't wait to see how well you do.

Susan Anderson said...

You would have taken the gold for sure.

;)

Marti said...

I used to twist my Barbie doll into grotesque contortions like that. She had the same look on her face too.