“18 October 2022 at 5:56 pm” by Alexis Renée Alderton
Poetry Pause is the League of Canadian Poets’ daily poetry dispatch. Read “18 October 2022 at 5:56 pm” by Alexis Renée Alderton.
18 October 2022 at 5:56 pm
By Alexis Renée Alderton
my grandmother died two saturdays ago
& i’m only finding out now
& i have blurry unset memories of how
her dhal & roti tasted; the way her
clothes & hands smelled; the exact glow &
ruddy orange of the chandelier in the
entryway; the sound of her creole; the gold
& bangles in her closet; but i do not have
enough to grieve.
instead, i’m left tilting my head, peering at the blue
sky; jets; the pavement; watching films
with the sound off; a bollywood actress
mouthing along to something that would
sound familiar if i could hear it but, nonetheless,
i wouldn’t know what it meant.
Copyright © Alexis Renée Alderton
Previously published in Two Times Removed Volume III (Bookworm Publishing, 2024).
Alexis Renée Alderton is a Canadian writer based in Oxfordshire. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature with a Concentration in Creative Writing. Her short story “Kala” was featured in Two Times Removed Volume III: An Anthology of Indo-Caribbean Futures (2024). In 2024, she was shortlisted for #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize. Alexis lives with her partner and their dog, Pyjamas. Together, they enjoy long walks and cozy afternoons.
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