The Roller Ride

Personal Reflection 1 Minute

One night, before I lost my hair, a very dear friend and I had a long online chat which had me in stitches. From picturing myself bald, with a tweed peaked cap and horn-rimmed glasses, we suddenly invented a whole new character – Alpatooti. This mysterious being brought me so much laughter – along with my wonderful friend who understood the game and played me match for match. I felt Alpatooti needed a poem. So here it is written as a chant poem for Bjorn’s latest dVerse challenge.

alpatooti  alpatooti
this new being
becoming, growing
hairless, boobless, abstract, gormless
laughter looney
alpatooti

alpatooti alpatooti
great tall hatch
jump in, it’s poison
Pac man,  hack man, tax man
axing cancer
alpatooti

alpatooti alpatooti
crowd the tears
into tiny spaces
stuff them, cherish them, shout them
catch them
alpatooti

alpatooti alpatooti
blankets, wheat packs
beanies, yak sacks
love coming like breath
cuddle-me-daily
alpatooti

alpatooti alpatooti
we’re marching, 
wobbling, giggling ‘
til cheeks are wet
banks of thanks to all 
and alpatooti

Published by abigfatcanofworms

We all walk in the dark. But if we hold hands, perhaps the dark won't be as scary.

Published

42 thoughts on “The Roller Ride”

  1. Oh, I love this and humor is always something to uplift us in dark times. Alpatooti is quite the character and I smiled more throughout the poem, giggling at this when coming back to it:

    “hairless, boobless, abstract, gormless
    laughter looney
    alpatooti”

    Beautifully written and so relatable in the way how we use humor to cope with things. If we didn’t have humor, especially those in police departments or the medical field and the like, we would succumb to the tragedies. I enjoyed reading this. ❤

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      1. I tend to have little spazz attacks about comments, so I turned them off to chill myself out. I hope you’ll come back to read again. I’ll turn them back on when I link with something, but I didn’t think mine really fit the prompt.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. The bouncy rhythm in this is fantastic, as is putting two fingers up to your cancer in this lovely, bubbly poem. Your positivity, although you must have bad days, is an absolute inspiration Worms. 🧡

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks Hobbo, I am sure those closest to me could tell you I have glum patches. But humour is a great saviour. Recently the same friend and I were contemplating the creative eyebrows I can draw on. 🤣🤣 Thomas the Tank Engine Triangles. John Howard (ex Aussie PM) foxes brush. Angry Bird darts. Hee hee. It’s fun to imagine.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. This is fantastic: charged with bravery, positivity and a sense of laughing at all the challenges life throws at us. It sounds like you have a wonderful and valuable friend 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  14. alpatooti =), first, i love this poem, this is a keeper, second third forth and so on, i love your strength and your wit and your resolve, and thank you for sharing this, for reasons i’m not going to get into, but, yeah, thank you for sharing this.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  15. well well we have a lot in common, cancer took my boobs too! I’d known I had it for ages but she was still too shocked to get my humour 🙂

    So glad your friend got it and rolled with you … this is brilliant writing, a rollicking chant and an uplifting attitude!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. for sure, a club nobody wants to be a member of! When was your mastectomy? Are you clear?

        Mine was Sept 2012 and all clear since, although the femara almost killed me 😦

        Liked by 1 person

      2. 😢. My mastectomy was May this year. They think they got it all but still having chemo, then radiation and then hormone treatment. But I don’t think it’s Femara. I think the drug they mentioned started with T. It seems a long way off still. 23 weeks or something.

        Liked by 1 person

      6. Thanks! That’s a lovely offer. Where did you receive your treatment? Yes, we are so far *touch wood* pretty Covid free. Hospitals are still taking the precaution of mask wearing. Sydney seems very close and this Delta variant is a bit scary

        Liked by 1 person

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