Last Will and Testament

 

To Hamish the dog: my blankets, my best rattle, the blocks he chewed.
To my mother: my mattress where my head has made a dip,
all the photographs.
To my father: his spectacles, which he let me take from his nose and break,
also my lacy shoes and all my frozen spinach.
To Auntie Jan: the pink cardigan she made me, also my butterfly.
To my mother in addition: my washable nappies (for re-sale), Gina Ford,
my weaning spoons.
To my father in addition: my words (my da-da, my ba-ba), my mother,
my best red trousers.

from Farewell My Lovely (Bloodaxe Books, 2009), © Polly Clark 2008, used by permission of the author and the publisher.

Polly Clark was born in Toronto, Canada and brought up in Lancashire, Cumbria and the Borders of Scotland. She has pursued several ...

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