If a zombie comes up the toilet
you can whisk off and fight it,
because you know the steps.
Put some Barbie dolls in a row
because zombies hate Barbie dolls.
They’re afraid they’ll chomp them.
You can also shine a light at zombies.
It injects them
and they die.
To discover the context of this poem, visit my other blog today: http://bit.ly/2F2LCQj
Photo by RomitaGirl67 CC BY 2.0.
‘Today was the worst day
in my whole entire life.
Five bad things happened.
Oh lucky Max.
You’re six. And you survived.
May this truly be the worst day
in your whole entire life.
May you never have another day
as bad as this.
From Senior Poems by Rachel McAlpine
and everyone had a sticky
floaty flimsy short-term shadow
trying to lose the sun
poem and photo rachel mcalpine CC BY 2.0
What if your child was sad
to the bone
and you didn’t know?
photo and poem by Rachel McAlpine
In a personal
ground-level
crisis
a mask may descend.
Take it off.
Then attend
to a child
or a friend.
Poem and photo by Rachel McAlpine
Speak softly
to the newly wed,
the dearly dead.
Speak loudly
to your Uncle Fred.
– – –
Rachel McAlpine
My monkeys have been teaching me
a rock dance
(says Ruby).
I am going to make the costume
a bit big
in case I am sick.
If I was sick
you could paint your face
and pretend to be me.
You could change your voice
into a beautiful voice
like mine.
I will teach you the moves.
Just bend your knees a bit.
You have to bend your knees anyway!
You can take my replacement.
The costume might be a bit small
but I promise it will fit you comfortably.
*
Rachel McAlpine
Advice and coaching from Ruby, aged 5
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
For goodness sake (says Ruby)
I know how to spell AND.
You don’t have to write it
in fancy writing.
For goodness sake,
I know how to spell A.
It’s just one letter.
That’s how we spell it at school.
Marie said, “What’s that tattoo
and can I have one too?”
and I said,
For goodness sake, no!
It’s already ruined.
I washed it and it’s blurry.
For goodness sake,
no!
*
Rachel McAlpine
Poem uttered by Ruby, aged 6
Poems in the wild—Rachel McAlpine 