The boy\u2019s orange shorts stand out against the azure sky
He has one foot on his skateboard
as it balances on the lip of the bowl
I crouch down low to film his first drop-in on my phone.
Beyond the grey cement, I\u2019m distracted by the immense vastness of everything above us
A few clouds like cotton wool hang suspended in the blue
Simpsons\u2019 clouds we call them,
But mostly it\u2019s just sky, so much sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The boy is still looking down into the bowl
It\u2019s the tiniest drop I\u2019ve ever seen
Couldn\u2019t be any more than fifty centimetres from top to bottom
with a gentle curve, to help the junior skater get on their way.
He angles the board down,
lets it go,
watches it roll to the bottom.
Looks back at me
\u201cYou can do it!\u201d I say.
\u201cYou do it then,\u201c he challenges.
\u201cNo. I don\u2019t have the right shoes on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I look up through the camera on my phone to the sky This child used to have no fear. We try it different ways. His gut has already decided that. If you’d like read more by Amanda Gambas, click here<\/a> for other stories, poetry and random pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To check out someone who has definitely conquered their fear, Hayley Wilson<\/a> is our (almost) local Olympic Skateboard Champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And did you know, Simpsons’ Clouds are actually called Cumulus? If you’re a weather nerd like Amanda, you can learn about different cloud types<\/a> and heaps of other meteorological stuff at the BOM<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The boy\u2019s orange shorts stand out against the azure skyHe has one foot on his skateboardas it balances on the lip of the bowlI crouch …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[19],"tags":[9,133,132,8,21,131,134,130,11,10],"class_list":["post-2060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-poetry","tag-amanda-gambas","tag-azure-sky","tag-drop-in","tag-mountain-ash-chapter","tag-poetry","tag-skate-park","tag-skateboarding","tag-skating","tag-story","tag-writing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/andrei-lazarev-YXYbkRNwbkM-unsplash-scaled-e1659930217963.jpg?fit=1500%2C802&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pff1uY-xe","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":268,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=268","url_meta":{"origin":2060,"position":0},"title":"My Neighbour","author":"Morte Oakley","date":"November 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"A shrill cry eruptsAnd a heavy beat of wings thuds through the canopyAs the sea of white within the green and grey shifts above me Below, a deep damp richness assaults my senses\u00a0And the crisping of dry leaves echoes underfoot\u00a0Mixing with the crunch of grey stone Ancients tower above meScarred\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Poetry"","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=19"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3485,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=3485","url_meta":{"origin":2060,"position":1},"title":"Sky","author":"Mountain Ash Chapter","date":"May 2, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"When I am beneath the open skyI think about how it's nothingThe sky is nothingAnd there is nothing above my heart There is nothing between me and the moonI can reach up and feelThe weight of itThe weight of the moon in my palm There is nothing between meAnd another\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Poetry"","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=19"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/david-boca-Q7veAYoK0_o-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/david-boca-Q7veAYoK0_o-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/david-boca-Q7veAYoK0_o-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/david-boca-Q7veAYoK0_o-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3629,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=3629","url_meta":{"origin":2060,"position":2},"title":"Too important for goodbye","author":"Morte Oakley","date":"June 30, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I tell you 'later.'That I'll see you next time.I remind you to stay safe,Or eat well.To take care. 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Take a few photos of different shades of blue.
It\u2019s that strong winter blue you get when there\u2019s no summer haze to soften it.
The boy sets up and looks down again.
Go on\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Would climb on roofs, up trees, jump off high ledges.
I don\u2019t know whether to be pleased with the change to his risk taking
or sad that the spark has somehow been extinguished.
Either through failure, judgement or well-meaning adults saying
Be Careful!
Don\u2019t do that!
You\u2019ll
hurt
yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the azure sky,
he looks down to the grey cement hole.
\u201cWhat if you skate around a bit and then just drop-in, on the move?\u201d
I shrug
He gives it a go
but baulks again
It won\u2019t be today<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No amount of standing at the brink, looking down
will end with success today.
But one day.
One day he\u2019ll look up
His desire
will override the fear
the body will follow
Then the sky
is the limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n