SECRETS KEPT BETWEEN BARBIE & KEN, NANCY & ROBIN
My best friend’s name is Kir.
Her pretend name is Nancy,
mine is Robin. She won’t let me
see her dog Dannie, who
I don’t think is real. She lives
next door. Kir has long
blond hair and legs as skinny
as Barbie’s. My family mustn’t know
about our secret life playing
with Barbie, Ken, Midge and Skipper.
I throw footballs with my brothers
and memorized the names of all
the teams. Joe Namath (the cutest
quarterback) has a handlebar mustache.
Sometimes Kir or I pretend to be
the boy. We have so much fun
with the rope swing in my backyard.
We are air dancers whirling
in a circus limelight. Kir won’t
let me join the Blue Birds.
We put our arms around each other
and tell strangers at the grocers,
“We’re bosom buddies!”
We throw red berries at passing
cars and bike in and out
of neighbor’s driveways. Mrs. XO
gives us presents and Mrs. Whaley
says our bare feet will have
cracks when we grow up.
Once we had a big fight.
I made Kir get off my bed,
off my rug and out of my house.
We made up with buttered toast
dipped in hot cocoa. I’ve decided
to go to the school without
walls. Kir has a new friend,
Debbie, who I think is boring.
Copyright © 2015 by Carrie Albert