The girl received many toys,
but when they didn’t cure her,
tiny cars drove off the shelf,
crashed on the floor and broke
their plastic axles,
crayons melted into putrid globs
on the baseboard heater,
dolls butchered their hair and clothes
then yanked out arms and legs,
and the terry-cloth bear and velour raccoon,
who were once the best of friends,
clawed out each other’s stuffing
and bit off their eyes.
From this painful carnage,
the girl knew that she would never
get well, and her illness was all her fault.
but when they didn’t cure her,
tiny cars drove off the shelf,
crashed on the floor and broke
their plastic axles,
crayons melted into putrid globs
on the baseboard heater,
dolls butchered their hair and clothes
then yanked out arms and legs,
and the terry-cloth bear and velour raccoon,
who were once the best of friends,
clawed out each other’s stuffing
and bit off their eyes.
From this painful carnage,
the girl knew that she would never
get well, and her illness was all her fault.
~ Sara Backer: Hollis, New Hampshire | The Brooklyner
