asbestos
ovenbird
“
Oh
,
we
used
to
make
puppets
with
asbestos,”
she
told
me
.
“
We
would
mould
it
around
our
fingers
like
clay
,
make
little
faces
,
it
would
amuse
us
for
hours
!”
She
knew
nothing
of
its
dangers,
but
even
if
she
had
,
perhaps
she
couldn’t
have
overcome
the
temptation
of
its
pliable
texture
.
Given
access
to
mercury
I
’m
not
sure
I
could
stop
myself
from
rolling
it
in
my
palm
,
just
to
know
what
it
would
feel
like
.
260601
what's it to you?
who
go
blather
from