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head and ears,

as we speed the winding tracks.

There’s one point

where it feels like it’s going to launch us

into the sky

and we might take flight for a second before

plummeting into

the water.

I imagine us all dying

like this, strapped

into our seats, unable to get free,

sinking together

in a roller coaster carriage.

It’s just a momentary

thought but it feels so real.

I take a sharp intake of

cold air and grip Anna’s hand.

To have a loving family

is to feel afraid and yet believe

you are going to be all right.

Mum and Anna

want to go shopping

in The Lanes

and North Laine.

A bunch of quirky boutique shops.

Mum says if I come

she’ll buy me something.

And this is always

how she gets me

to come shopping.