ELSIE'S LIE 1951

KIDS AND A DOG IN 1951

I threw Dancer's ball
and he ran off to fetch it,
when Auntie's friend's
daughter, Elsie, stood

on the grass the other
side of the parade ground
watching me, arms folded.
Dancer ran back with his ball.

What you doing? Elsie said.
Throwing Dancer's ball, I said,
why did you want to play too?
She stared at me: play at what?

She said. Play with the ball; we
could play catch, I said. With
that wet ball where the dog's
wet mouth has dribbled on it,

she said, pulling a face. Dancer
held the ball in his mouth looking
at me, waiting for me to take it
and throw it again. Elsie crossed

the parade ground(the soldiers
were elsewhere) and stood in
front of me. I’m going to school
after the holiday, she said, I am 5

and Mum said it times for me
to go. I stared at her. Dancer
dropped his ball looking at us.
Where about is the school? I said.

Aldershot of course, she said.
I’ll miss seeing you about, I said.
She said nothing at first, but
looked at Dancer, then she said:

he'll miss you when you go back
home to London; expect your
auntie will too, but I won't though,
she said, looking at me. I nodded

my head, and picked up Dancer's
ball and threw it over into the grass.
She stared at me and sighed: I will
miss you, she said to me, I lied.