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Published 2010

About

- Memory -

We had huge sacks of marbles. The most important people had the most important and biggest sacks, others just carried theirs in an old sock or jam jar. At the end of break everyone would scurry along to stuff their bags into their lockers. The thought of them is what kept us going through the fraying edges of school. It looped it all together. This and those writing papers. I would lie in bed at night concentrating hard on the zillions of floral papers that other girls had and that we would swap at school. I would fall asleep watching papers in my mind. I dreamed of two in particular that I loved.

We all had our loops of elastic ready as we hopscotched our way two-by-two into the playground, past other pairs playing macrame with bright wools. The same partner that you sat with, and hung out with. It was not okay to not be a couple. We made cups and saucers with the wool and never ever got bored of swapping bits and pieces. But my mother’s swaps collection still impressed me most of all. Writing paper and stickers kept my heart beating — I dreamed of having them. Oh, the careful trading that went on.