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Russell Wolff

@russellwolffwrites.bsky.social

Dadding, writing, cooking (eating), running, dreaming of traveling, karaoke-ing (at home, mercifully)

Russell Wolff @russellwolffwrites.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

My #kidlit poem OUR POND is an Honorable Mention in the Lyrical Language Lab 3rd Annual Summer Poetry Contest! Thank you to @reneemlatulippe.bsky.social, Michelle Barnes, and @suzylevinson.bsky.social, & to my critique partners. Check out the winning poems! www.reneelatulippe.com/winners-summ...

Our Pond

We pad upon deep piles of pine needles,
Grandpa tilting a stick like a carefree clock,
waving away spiders’ snares.

ten o’clock
to two o’clock
back to ten

Time’s up, webs.
We have somewhere to be.

We step over long-fallen trees,
squish on spongy moss carpets,
and bounce across the footbridge where we like to race crabapples down the stream.
We exchange nods.
That’s for later.

We turn an evergreen corner.

Light sings off the pond,
its beach rich with ready stones.

The pond whispers

That one.

Almost circular,
purple and red,
serious in my hand.

I wind up and whip the stone sideways.

GLUNK

The pond isn’t always right.

“Try this one,” Grandpa says, and I do.
“Nine!”
Grandpa flings his own stone.
“Seven!”
(We’re so loud we scare the frogs.)

We throw
until our arms droop like taffy
and it’s time
to collect crabapples.
*****

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Russell Wolff @russellwolffwrites.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Very excited to see my name in the #KidlitChuckleChallenge winner’s circle! Thanks to @AprilBerryBooks, @MusingMomMumble, @LawyerBri, and @JulieHauswirth for organizing such a fun contest. And to my CPs for their helpful comments (as always)! Congrats to all the winners and HMs!

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