Survival
My mother has never been to Marks and Spencers;
she sends me five pairs of knickers from California.
She sends me a batch of chocolate chip cookies
and a freeze-dried avocado
and a bottle of Breck shampoo.
Mom I write
we have shampoo in England.
We have Taco Bell
and 31 Flavours ice cream
and fruit from all over the world.
She sends me Hershey’s chocolate syrup
and Aunt Jemima pancakes
and an electric gizmo that scrambles eggs.
And then finally she comes to visit
bearing a one pound box of cinnamon
and some deodorant
and a set of flannel sheets
(sooooo warm she says)
I show her three-prong plugs
and the Bluewater Mall
and a fusion café in Soho.
I take her to Marks and Spencers
where she buys sheets and shampoo
and five pairs of knickers
to take back to California.
Page(s) 49
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