Children of the Earth

Opposite me, far and away but within the limits of my gaze, a child is drawing on the pavement and shaping the cement into a work of art, making the infamous staircase game. This metaphorical ladder is curious, I think, as it does not lead up or down: it is the ladder of balance, supported by the child’s flying, with its stumps - it is the ladder of the earth, and it is always childish and is made only with chalk: this is our first initiation into the acrobatics of life ...