ArtWrite 8/4: Naudline Cluvie Pierre

Before she climbed the last rung, Joley stopped and took in the world from her new vantage point. She’d never climbed that high before and gazed at the awnings of the apartment buildings that lined Astor Street.

On the swings next to the jungle gym, two boys tried to brush their soles against the oak tree branches that extended over the playground. Mesmerized by the rhythmic extension and bending of their legs and the boldness of their sweeping arcs, her grip loosened.

When Joely landed on the jigsaw matted ground, a mother she didn’t know cradled her in her arms while two others ran off to find hers.

-- Maggie Levine