Landing in Sand

When I was at school I loved athletics, especially long jump. The feeling of sprinting up to the board as fast as I possibly could and then taking off into space filled me with expectation and elation, with the wind in my face and the dappled shadows of the trees in the sand, freshly raked from the previous jumper.  The sand – a long way from the coast and no salt water in sight – sparked my imagination with seashells, pebbles and sea creatures until I landed at the other end of the pit. Lifting my feet heavily, I waded out of my dreams to check the tape against the hollow footprints.

Now I live near the coast, just a short drive to the wild beauty of North Norfolk beaches, where I am reminded of the long jump pit – I have completed the leap.

cool summer shadows
capture sparkles in their depths
dreaming of the past

Kim M. Russell, 2017

long-jump-sand-pit-with-marks

My response to dVerse Poets Pub Haibun Monday – Sport

Today Björn is our host for Haibun Monday and he has asked us to write a haibun about sport, which he says can be so many things: the things we hate to watch, or that we love; the excitement of winning or the depression of losing; a game of football at the pub or watching figure skating.

However, he also reminds us that sport is not just about competing. It’s about how we love to move our bodies, running, swimming cycling; it could be a game of golf with friends or running a marathon; or how we miss taking part in sport. Sport is a word that can be so much more than what fills the sport pages.

 Björn asks for a story about sport in a short piece of prose and a haiku to add a dimension.

40 thoughts on “Landing in Sand”

    1. Thank you, Lillian. I mostly remember sunny days at the the back of the school field practising long jump – I was quite good, too, and got to run and jump for the school.

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  18. You just made the long jump sound so enjoyable, that wasn’t the case for me. Still it was exciting like you say to run a fast we can to the stage. Well written prose and haiku is nostalgic. Well done on the Haibun!

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  19. I love watching long jump, but I’ve always wondered how the repeated impact of sports like that affects the body as you age. I once nursed a well-known football player and in his 70’s he could hardly stand to get out of bed. Love the haiku.

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