I didn’t own a ragdoll as a mite.
My favorite baby doll was rubber-made
Ginette I loved so hard I used to bite
her head. But as a 12 year old, I paid
allowance for a raggedy new doll –
the classic red-haired Ann to guard my bed.
She’s not a relic of my youth at all;
she represents my cottage taste instead.

Presenting her to you, I don’t expect
you’ll play with her. Do what you will. It’s just
I laundered her today lest she infect
you with bacteria or age-old dust.
I love you more than she asserts at heart,
and it’s okay the wash tore her apart.