ASPHYXIUM ZINE

Thursday, September 14, 2023

Poem: "Picket Fence" by Alison Stone

Picket Fence
Alison Stone


The mother drinks in secret.
The father punches his shame into a wall.
So many ways to pretend.
The daughter hides beneath blankets.

The father punches his shame into a wall.
How did love end up like this?
The daughter hides beneath blankets
as the TV blares fake laughter.

How did love end up like this,
dinner finishing in tears
as the TV blares fake laughter?
In pictures, they all smile.

Dinners finish in tears,
though everything’s wiped clean.
In pictures, they all smile
on beaches or the front lawn.

Everything’s wiped clean.
The neighbors will never know.
On beaches or the front lawn,
they’re a typical family.

The neighbors must never know.
So many ways to pretend
they’re a typical family.
The mother drinks in secrets.

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