(From my actual childhood. It's a miracle I'm not in therapy.)
I cried as they wrapped me up in orange crepe paper
Round and round they wound the roll
And bound me up
In orange crepe paper
“I don’t want to be a carrot,” I said
“I want to be a fairy instead”
“A carrot is much more fun, hold still”
I cried as they wrapped me up in orange crepe paper
Round and round they wound the roll
And topped me off with greenery, glued to a headband.
Sorry, but this just makes me laugh every time I read it. I can see how it would be traumatic, but you've written it in such a wry Alan Bennett way that it's just funny. I imagine a little girl with your exact hair cut and glasses, as a carrot. Genius.
ReplyDeleteClaire, this poem is heartbreaking though I also agree with Zoe! What really catches me is the musicality - how you use bound, wound and round to dizzy the reader and then you have a simple sad last line.
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