OK, nail me down.
That’s fine.
Tenderize the I-steak
of my spine.
Melt me to champagne again
again, again, again.
*
Rachel McAlpine
The game of one cat, one kitten
We’re going to play
the game of one cat one kitten
(says Ruby).
You’ll need to be
a lot of characters,
because Gloria won’t understand.
You’ll have to be my Mum.
I’ll say, can I learn how to cook?
And you’ll teach me.
And I’ll run away
because the Mum’s food is yukky
— we won’t say gross.
You pretend to lie on the road
and be a kitten.
I find you and make you my pet.
The more time you spend writing this down,
the less time we have
to play the game.
*
Rachel McAlpine
Game invented by Ruby, aged 4 or 5
Problem solving
Why do you not like her?
(says Ruby).
She used to not like you
but now you don’t like her.
She used to problem solve.
Her powers helped her problem solve.
But she gave her powers
to her friends.
Whenever they want to play
with barbies, “Pooh!
We don’t want to play with you,
bogey girl!”
Kyoko and our babies
used to problem solve.
They say, “Bake me. Bake me.
Eat me if you can.”
*
Rachel McAlpine
From a story told by Ruby, aged 4 or 5 or 6
So brave
Do not fear
to be sincere.
Do not give
the shove to love.
*
Rachel McAlpine
You want to breathe
You sometimes feel like breathing
but it’s best not to
(says Ruby).
Once you start breathing,
you have to keep going
and your throat just gets sore.
If that happens, there are two things
you can do. The first thing is,
you can have a drink of water
and it goes away and it’s perfect again.
The second thing you can do to fix it
is, you can go “Aahaa, aahaa”.
I’m the only person
who goes “Aahaa, aahaa”.
I hardly even breathe, ever.
Just now and then, like this.
*
Rachel McAlpine
From a conversation with Ruby, aged 4 or 5
You’re tired
You’re tired
(says Ruby)
so it’s good we’re playing
something entiring
and something
not entiring.
I tell you what to do:
make some dolls’ clothes.
That’s entiring.
And then I go home
and you have a wee rest
when I’m not here.
*
Rachel McAlpine
From a conversation with Ruby, aged 4
Survival kit
Being alive involves
a certain quantity of losing,
maybe six per cent.
Ships planes and
hospital beds, letters
from head office and
blunders all contribute.
The soul travelling
looks for a cloud
and even in the sea
dehydration is
the greatest danger.
The wise provide
for such emergencies.
Knowing a friend may leave
at any time they hoard food
and water, especially water,
and bandage up the heart in advance.
This way they can afford to cry.
Which is right and proper
and the heart does not leak
and they say Yes, yes
I am saved, I have not shrivelled.
Good, good we all understand—
except for how and why at times
a person cries
from the opposite of losing,
from a kind of overflow.
*
Rachel McAlpine
Like Elizabeth Taylor
In the bed
of a bloke
then ipso facto
you’re in love.
No joke.
No matter how
you muscle-train
your cells are jelly
and recall
ding dong ding dong belly.
*
Rachel McAlpine
In the olden days
Sue is not a burglar girl
(says Ruby).
Her father was born
in the olden days.
Probably they didn’t have
burglars then
but something worse
like pirates
or deadly weapons aliens.
Deadly means
really good
and not useless.
*
Rachel McAlpine
From a story told by Ruby, aged 4 or 5 or 6
Do you feel sorry for me?
I was hurt today
(says Ruby)
with a very bad hurt.
(says Ruby)
with a very bad hurt.
There was blood on my knee
and I banged my chin. See?
Do you feel sorry for me?
We were running too fast.
Lauren got a bleeding nose:
I crashed her with my head.
Ellen squealed Ee! but I just cried.
I have to scoot slowly now
because it hurts my knee.
Do you feel sorry for me?
Do you feel more sorry for Ellie,
or do you feel more sorry for me?
*
Rachel McAlpine
From a story told by Ruby, aged 4 or 5 or 6
Poems in the wild—Rachel McAlpine 