i never played with Barbie dolls
i played with paper dolls
Grown up ladies dressed in Vogue wearing big hats long white gloves dresses and suits
Models waiting to be dressed tabs tucked and cut just so to insure all the edges were in place

i played let’s have tea with imaginary friends
we’d take turns with Simon Says as we laughed drank tea and ate crumpets

Tea parties and Books
So many stories to fall into
My picture books were my friends

i played tent under Grandma’s big dining room table draped chenille blankets on top and made it all cozy and safe underneath

i never played ‘Doctor’ or ‘Nurse’ what kinda fun is having a temperature and pretending to be sick!

i played Store Clerk clicked on a fun adding machine
lined up all the cans from Grandma’s pantry as i served my customers
made change, bagged groceries, and told funny jokes

i played Librarian, categorized, organized and labeled each book
stamped the due date and got lost in titles, author’s names, colorful covers and illustrations

what i loved best was folding up into a pretend butterfly cocoon, swinging and swaying in my neighbor’s beige canvas hammock

i’d fold the sides around me only my eyes peeking up into the leaves of the over hanging walnut tree
and at just the right dizzy, the canvas flaps would burst open and out flew the most beautiful butterfly!