Amelia LoulliMost people drown without
_______making
a noise or splashing. See me
here Baby, watch me
_______lying
out plank, below the surface,
all that stillness, all that
_______peace, see
how long I can breathe
down here alone. You must
_______trust
me, I am your mother after all,
don’t think about the firefighter who
_______lies
to the woman on the phone inside
the burning building, says he’s on his
_______way up
to save her, then hands her brother
back the phone, tell her you
_______love her,
knowing all his tears
won’t be enough to quiet the
_______flames,
I am your mother after all, I am made
to do this. When the mother harp
_______seal leaves
its cub, nobody calls it a mistake,
I have been at this much longer than
_______twelve days,
just let me float here a while, Baby
you will still remember
_______my face,
it will be the same one you wear
every time life cuts in such a way, the serration
_______drags the exact
formation of ripples upon its shape.
Amelia Loulli is on the ten-person shortlist for Primers Volume III. ‘Baby’ is from her shortlisted manuscript Mother, Blood. We’ve been showcasing the work of all the shortlisters writers over the last two weeks. See the shortlist announcement page for links.
Amelia Loulli is a writer who lives with her children in the Eden Valley, Cumbria. Her poetry was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize 2016 & 2017. She writes when the rest of the house is sleeping, and never goes anywhere without a book.
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