TO FILL IN THE BLANK
Forms and questions on everyday slips require that
I fill in the blank, that
I answer in a single space
—Who am I—
for taxes or something
or a census
for jobs, of course, most usually
for me they say, quite casually
wife of a house.
Almost extinct, I am.
How does that feel?
As if I need
some air
as if I need
some way of saying
I hear the other
….. side of the
…….. page
a promise
elbowing
in.
Author’s Bio
Ulrike Narwani’s poetry has been published in literary journals, chapbooks, and anthologies. Her poetry placed first in FreeFall’s contest (2012), and received honorable mention from Vallum’s poetry contest (2013). Collecting Silence is her debut volume of poetry (Ronsdale Press, 2017). Her poem “Three Wishes” is presently travelling on BC Transit. She makes her home in North Saanich, BC.