December 31, 2004

• “Sophie’s Web-page 4.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  People want to give me a lift home from school when it’s raining, they don’t understand that I love the rain and they think I am being rude by saying no thanks.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Mummy does not collect me much from school now, I walk down the road with the twins cos their mother has no car neither.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  A big black man stood outside our school gates. We are at that school until we are eleven. He wanted to know if we wanted any drugs. Sonia told her dad and her dad and his brothers (also black) beat the (deleted word) out of the pusher.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Why not? The police don’t care. They think we are all dirt. That’s why their chopper is overhead at 3am and police cars leave their hooters on even when there are no other cars to get in their way.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  —
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Dandelions are pretty flowers
  

  
  

  And I feel so sad
  

  
  

  When Mummy say they are weeds.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  I told her that she was pretty
  

  
  

  But she wasn’t a weed.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  She let me plant three dandelion roots
  

  
  

  In a plant-pot
  

  
  

  In my bedroom.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  When Nanny found out
  

  
  

  She said I can have
  

  
  

  Some of hers.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  —
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Mummy wasn’t very well today. I wanted to stay at home and look after her, but she said I must go to school and learn enough to get away from this dump and people like the Ricketts.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  But I was worried about Mummy all day and even borrowed someone’s mobile phone, but that only got Mummy out of bed, so it would have been better if I had never rang her.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  What I like most about winter is the way frost turns cobwebs into lace doillies (like the ones Nanny use, she also uses saucers!) I like weaving the webs in my finger but not if there’s a spider in the web.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  I’m not scared of spiders like Mummy is (I get them out of the bath for her) but it’ll be a shame if a poor spider had to make a new web in the frost.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  —
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  One day of snow this winter,
  

  
  

  One half of a snowman,
  

  
  

  And one snowball fight.
  

  
  

  That is all.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  I wish I lived in a country
  

  
  

  With a lot of snow
  

  
  

  So that I can have more fun.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Though I suppose
  

  
  

  School might then close,
  

  
  

  And that would be a bad thing.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  —
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  I don’t watch much telly, I prefer to read. I love reading poetry, I am into Walter-de-la-Mere now, though I am not clever enough to write like him.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  I stopped Mummy from buying “The Sun”, it’s a dirty little paper. i love reading Grampie’s “Guardian” though, even if a lot of the words are a puzzle to me.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  I hate people who smoke. And of course SHE smokes, the dirty old (deleted word.)
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Mummy! What’s wrong with THAT word? It’s okey you deleting (deleted word.) that is bad, but here it’s a real animal that goes moo moo moo!
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  SHE even smokes at the meal table and Daddy lets her get away with it. I told her she’s always got to have SOMETHING in her mouth and she said something rude and daddy laughed. But I did not find it funny. I don’t want to hear sex jokes from that disgusting woman, ta very much!
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  I stuck a no-smoking notice on my bedroom door in daddy’s flat. SHE ripped it off saying if I didn’t like the smoke to (rude word Mummy will delete THAT one!) off home. I started to pack my things but daddy wouldn’t take me back to Mummy (who NEVER smokes!)
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  —
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  I wake up
  

  
  

  to find the moon in bed with me,
  

  
  

  a reflection from my mirror;
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  and for a while
  

  
  

  I danced on the surface of the moon,
  

  
  

  happy to be alive.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Then I fell asleep.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  I hope there are no clouds tonight
  

  
  

  I want to touch the moon again.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  —
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Sophie Lucy Morgan (aged nine)
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Web Page 5.
  

  
  

  Reading
  

  Prayers of the Ark by Carmen Bernos de Gasztold

  • 9:05 am
  • 41 Comments