This is my second year participating in the Spring Fling Kid Lit Contest. Sidewalk Chalk Garden was inspired by my love of drawing with sidewalk chalk. It continued into my adult years as I enjoyed watching my daughter and students create their own sidewalk art. The possibilities are truly endless…

Sidewalk Chalk Garden

by Patricia Brown


I begin my garden

with yellow circles,

bright like the sun.

Then I draw

one, two, three, 

four, five, six, seven 

swirls for the petals.

This one is pink,       

like cherry blossoms.

This one is yellow,

like marshmallow peeps.

This one is purple,

like my favorite Easter egg.

This one is white

like little soft bunnies.

This one is green,

like shamrocks and leprechauns.

This one is orange 

like monarch butterflies.         

This one is blue

like the sky.

I draw long green lines

and add the stems.

Then I scribble streaks

of purple for the grass.

As I dust the chalk off my hands

I notice a fluffy dandelion

growing through a crack on the sidewalk.

I pick it up,

close my eyes 

and blow.

I wish that one day,

I will have a real garden.

I open my eyes and realize I already do.