Hanna Plotnikava, The Other One
Children's Games
Bruce McRae
I’m an overcoat.
A drop of blood.
A bone under a table.
I'm the lost little girl
in your aunt’s favorite fable.
Now pretend you’re a button.
Now pretend you’re broken,
like a kite or a stick.
Or we’re on a raft
and it’s raining. It’s the middle
of the sea, and I’m a slave
and you’re my savior.
Then I’ll play teacher.
You’re the student
asleep at their desk,
and no amount of screaming
can ever wake you
Bruce McRae
I’m an overcoat.
A drop of blood.
A bone under a table.
I'm the lost little girl
in your aunt’s favorite fable.
Now pretend you’re a button.
Now pretend you’re broken,
like a kite or a stick.
Or we’re on a raft
and it’s raining. It’s the middle
of the sea, and I’m a slave
and you’re my savior.
Then I’ll play teacher.
You’re the student
asleep at their desk,
and no amount of screaming
can ever wake you