1966
Mother parks the Chevrolet Impala
at the Stongs parking lot.
and shops for food.
Brother and I walk
across the street
to the Dunbar Library.
I turn left. Walk to the children’s section.
Books with beautiful pictures stand
proud and tall on the ledge.
Their pages wave, “Pick me. Pick me.”
I lift one, two, three
books into my arms. Heavy.
I sit cross-legged on the floor.
Drop them onto my lap.
Scan and scour shelves for more books
that call to me
with colour and characters
with big words I cannot read
yet.
Stacks of books
pile high around me. I open
turn page after page.
One pile to take home
grows taller.
I pick up another book.
Flip inside.
A little boy
dressed like a white cat
giggles. Green trees grow
in his bedroom.
I giggle.
I turn the page.
M-a-x
Max
in a boat on the ocean.
Smooth sailing.
I turn another page.
Monsters. More monsters.
Sharp teeth. Sharp claws.
Monsters burst off the page.
My heart races.
I slam the book shut.
My chest pounds.
I stuff the book back onto the shelf.
Where the monsters cannot bite me.
2009
I sit in class at UBC
listening as students share their fondness
for Max. For Where the Wild Things Are.
My chest pounds.
Everyone loved Sendak’s story as a child.
I feel embarrassed
to admit my childhood fright.
So I don’t.
********
S-ee K-a-r-e-n
R-r-e-e-a-d.
R-ead.
“S-ee D-i-ck r-u-n.
S-ee J-a-ne r-u-n.
S-ee S-p-o-t r-u-n.”
See Karen r-u-n.
See Karen j-u-m-p.
See Karen l-e-a-p.
See Karen h-i-d-e.
See Karen sh-a-k-e.
See Karen c-r-y.
See Karen r-r-r-un
down the hall.
See Karen ju-u-ump
over the floor.
See Karen le-e-e-a-p
onto her bed.
See Karen h-i-d-e
under her blanket.
See Karen sh-sh-sh-a-a-a-k-k-k-e.
because Monsters growl. Gnash
their teeth.
See Karen c-r-r-y.
because Monsters grab
her arm.
See Karen read.
See Dick hit.
See Jane hit.
See Spot cry.
********
Monsters live
in my house.
Monsters growl
under my bed.
Monsters howl
at my face.
Monsters grab
at my head.
Monsters mash
at my back.
Monster Mother
at Father.
Monster Father
at Mother.
Monsters
Mother
and Father
at me.
Monsters live
in my house.
********
Where the Wild Things REALLY Are
This day Karen
wears her imaginary fairy costume.
Skips and flutters
down the hall
smiles at sunshine beams.
Wild things roam.
One monster swings the strap.
Grabs her arm.
Digs sharp claws into tender
skin. Hits.
Till black and blue.
Another monster growls.
Sends her to her room.
He follows. Growls again. And again.
Till walls quake.
Monster snarls. Shakes
his big thick hand
in her face.
Fairy squirms.
Monster bends down.
Bites
her low back.
Door slams.
Monster thunders away.
Fairy wings crumple.
Fairy legs hurt.
Fairy skips hurt.
Karen hobbles outside
away from where
the wild things are.
Hides
in branches of overgrown Laurel
in the back alley.
Eyes close. Chest shudders.
Arms hug knees.
This very day
hidden in her hedge
cotton balls grow.
And grow like white bunnies.
Grow until the tangle of branches
all around
becomes a room. Shimmering.
Irresistible. Orbs
of fresh white cotton.
Karen flutters and bounces
on pillows of softness.
Throws handfuls into the air.
Warm whiteness caresses.
Embraces. Gladdens.
Comforts. Safe.
Karen drops her fairy wings. Frowns.
Loneliness and hunger
grab hold.
Cold earth penetrates her stocking feet.
Chill seeps in
through her t-shirt.
Envelope of darkness.
Fear enfolds.
Karen creeps across the lawn
into the night of the basement.
Karen tiptoes upstairs.
No dinner.
No one waits for her.
The wild things are gone.
For the moment.
********
QUOTES: Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak
“That night Max wore his wolf suit
and made mischief of one kind
and another
his mother called him ‘WILD THING!’
and Max said ‘I’LL EAT YOU UP!’
so he was sent to bed
without eating anything.
That very night
in Max’s room a forest grew
and grew–
and grew until his ceiling hung with vines
and the walls became the world all around….”
“And when he came to the place
where the wild things are
they roared their terrible roars
and gnashed their terrible teeth
and rolled their terrible eyes
and showed their terrible claws
till Max said, ‘BE STILL!’
and tamed them with the magic trick
of staring into all their yellow eyes
without blinking once
and they were frightened
and called him
the most wild thing of all
and made him king
of all wild things.”
“‘And now,’ cried Max,
‘let the wild rumpus start!’”
“‘Now stop!’ Max said
and sent the wild things off to bed
without their supper.
And Max the king of all wild things
was lonely
and wanted to be where someone
loved him best of all.
Then all around
from far away across the world
he smelled good things to eat
so he gave up being king
of where the wild things are.
But the wild things cried,
‘Oh please don’t go–
we’ll eat you up–we love you so!’
And Max said, ‘No!’
The wild things roared their terrible roars
and gnashed their terrible teeth
and rolled their terrible eyes
and showed their terrible claws
but Max stepped into his private boat
and waved good-bye
and sailed back…
and into the night
of his very own room
where he found his supper
waiting for him
and it was still hot.”