She curls into my lap
a lot these days
and pretends to be a baby
which looks a little bit
like that Great Dane
I once knew
who did the same thing
she begs for the story
about how she used to fit
inside my coat
and when she cried
everyone on the bus wondered
who was hiding
a kitten
then last night she wrote a note
to the fairies
asking to be small like them
so I tell her
she is strong and fast
and how lucky
she is tall so she can reach
the marshmallows
I am always hiding
and as I am madly looking up
the age that eating disorders
steal their spirit
I hear her older brother say
if you were that little
you would fall in the toilet
and a giant bum would come down
and then you’d be flushed
out to sea
and she laughs
that beautiful
unbridled
huge laugh
and they tear the note
into tiny pieces
to make snow
for the fairies
instead.