Kim Whysall-Hammond, Poem

Scattered objects unearthed
from the prehistory of my childhood
before writing was invented
and the alphabet was still a rhyming chant

A single dusky pink ballet shoe
stuffed worn mannikins
one disc faced in grey
a miniature fully functional typewriter
shiny plastic necklaces

Images exist of sunny afternoons
in pools or by rivers
I carry a floating balloon
with a cardboard gilded fish drifting inside
wear short cotton dresses
long hair scooped up into ornate shapes

From this evidence
a narrative may be reconstructed
of a cherished daughter

We know better you and I