Alicia Lawrence – Poetry
Woman The Usual Way
1.
She smiles sweetly
Taking numbers, trying to avoid letting anyone notice the bruises on her baby boy
If her ex-husband finds out where she lives
He might smash the windows of her car with his fist again
He phones three times a day
And there are swear words at the door
That I swallow
Along with the dark silence from neighbours behind the walls
Who I hear from when the Ministry calls
Three days after my daughter has finished
Venting her frustration on the contents of her toybox
2.
According to the news, they heard screams outside from behind their apartment curtains
But there were still no witnesses when they found her body the next day
3.
Is witness protection
For the woman who was an addict living in East Vancouver, and whose
testimony was weak because she was on cocaine with what she saw in a farmer’s closet,
But it was hoped she would take the stand in the trial?
Her face is covered in sudden marks, a black eye on one side, lip split, an
angry red welt on her opposite cheek
She winces when, walking past, I glance – then holds her pose
The usual way
Listen to Alicia read her poem
* * *
Alicia Marie Lawrence has had her poetry published in ditch, and her illustrations published in Commas & Colons. She has recently graduated with an MA from the University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C. and feels strongly connected to her Alberta Cree-Métis heritage.
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[…] Alicia Marie Lawrence has had her poetry published in As / Us Journal and ditch, and her illustrations published in Commas & Colons Literary Magazine. She lives in […]