My small son stood stock still—his mouth in a pout,
I gave him a nudge—he wouldn’t budge,
His bottom lip jutting out in his ‘I will have my way,’ way.
I may rant and rave and shout,
But he was stubborn as a mule
When he didn’t want to go to school.
To this day he’d be still in the hallway—
if I didn’t say,
“Oh, that’s a shame… I thought you liked to play
the football game…
His eyes lit up—he dashed ahead, “I’ll race you there!” he said.
Lesley Scoble, February 2025
I wrote my poem Hallway Standoff in response to the W3 Prompt #146. To write a poem in no more than eleven lines to encourage someone not to give up—urging them to persevere, try again, or push forward for just one more time or day.
I’m not sure if my poem fulfils the brief, but I am grateful for the inspiration. My younger son, Benny, could remain immovable for hours with his bottom lip pouting. I learned how to bribe and encourage with a kind word to persuade him to take a step forward. Stick or carrot? A game of football worked every time!
To find out more about the prompt, please click below.
Dear friends,
I have been off the grid for two weeks as I was unwell and admitted to the ACU at the UCLH with norovirus and e.coli plus things I cannot pronounce. I owe the incredible medical team of infectious diseases my life.
I know I have lovely comments that remain unanswered, but I shall respond soon. I should like to thank all who have sent me get well messages. They mean so much to me. David Bogomolny, your messages and adorable giphys lit up my darkest mornings. You have a heart of pure gold.
Lesley lives in the City of London Square Mile. An artist, actor and sculptor (her first ceramic sculpture won the V&A inspired by… Award). Scenic artist & book illustrator, playwright (her musical play, Rapscallion performed in inner city schools and theatre school); TV dancer; mime artist; Animator and illustrator for TV production. Set up Pinecone Studios Ltd and IIMSI Ltd drama and filmmaking workshops in London – producing award-winning films made by children.
LesleyScoble.com 
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