Bio
Laurice Gilbert has had poems published in many journals, anthologies and magazines across 9 countries, after realising that she hated networking and didn't have the emotional resilience for the New Zealand literary circuit. She administered the NZ Poetry Society for a decade, has had three Pushcart Prize nominations, published two collections and was once shortlisted for the Bridport Prize.
Laurice Gilbert
Estrangement
Consider the aorta – the largest artery
in the mammalian heart – best known for
its pivotal role in delivering oxygen to the body
In a congenital condition called – never mind – the aorta is
super-constricted, resulting in chest pain and laboured breathing
Sometimes, if severe enough, it causes heart failure in babies
*
Turns out my family has that never-mind condition,
though the earworms of misunderstanding and mistrust took time
to whisper their soiled stories into narrowing minds
The particles of resentment penetrate and distort the oxygen flow
that once connected parents and offspring, collapsing
the whole intricate network, breaking all our hearts