began making a dolly from newspaper
rolled paper head a scrunched collarette
arms jointed with rolled strips into loops
dress pleated at the waist
layers to keep her from being wobbly

animated the arms to reach out
reaching the doll’s arms out
dancing her this way and that
the head to turn question identity
she read her skirt her arms her sleeves

a wee girl watched picked up other pages
made herself a crown and her sister a silly hat
they exchanged places made stories
a wee boy braided a coracle sailed it through the sky
tiptoed towards the ceiling
their faces shone smiling-serious as they worked
as if making their first carbon handprints on cave walls

while others stared into their devices
could not make anything from them
disconcerted code not being carbon
too late in the day
in a closed room with few resources

Michele Waering gained an MLitt in Creative Writing from The University of Glasgow. Her work has appeared in A Thousand Cranes: Scottish Poets for Japan; Envoi; The Interpreter’s House; World Haiku Review; San Pedro River Review; Red River Review; The Ghazal Page; Fuga No Makoto; From Glasgow to Saturn and Allegro. She lives in Renfrewshire, Scotland.