Girls’ Playground, Harriet Island, St. Paul, MN (1905)

We were young adventurers
Climbers
Swingers
Risk takers
The fuss and prim
did not prevent us from reaching
places unexpected.
Our faces full of determination
and spunk,
we watched as one or two,
the first of us,
moved beyond the earth’s hold,
testing the boundaries of gravity,
pulling from inner strength and
proving what we all knew we could do.
We had stars in our eyes
A handhold on the future
Saw glimpses of what could be
And latched on.

Jennifer Guyor Jowett teases stories and writers into being. She is the author of Into the Shadows, a middle grade historical fiction based on true-life events, the creator of the #dogearedbookaward, and a defender of fierce girls. Jennifer is a 7th/8th ELA teacher in the mitten state.