Sheila's Dribs 'n Drabs

“Are you clean enough?” “Yes,” said the young man, lying of course. Mother washed him in lye. She’d given his clothes away. “Knew you’d die.”

“Are you old enough?” “Yes,” said the boy, lying of course, so they sent him to war. The girl he loved had answered him no.

“I have a dream.” There’s power in words, and promises in hope. Let’s dream a world where black, white, rich, poor, sick and healthy cope.

Two countries beginning with A treated people badly. I wished England wasn’t Angleterre in French. I wished I didn’t confuse North America with South Africa.

I learned black and white people die in America while watching black-and-white TV in England. My mother cried. I wondered why this dream wasn’t reality.

The problem with parties, thought the vampire, is someone ate my goldfish. So he drank fish-water to clear his salted palate, then ate another date.