Mercedes Lawry
The Modigliani women come to me in half dream,
offering comfort. Without brittle words or lies.
Sorrow knows sorrow in the tracery of bones.
The hands of the pianist are young birds and hungry.
Music melds with the elements of a body in motion.
And in repose, a flattery of death, which I have watched
and can tell you, is an ugly ruckus.
Mercedes Lawry has published poetry in such journals as Poetry, Rhino, Nimrod, Poetry East, Seattle Review, and others. She’s also published fiction and humor as well as stories and poems for children. Among the honors she’s received are awards from the Seattle Arts Commission, Hugo House, and Artist Trust. She’s been a Jack Straw Writer, held a residency at Hedgebrook and is a Pushcart Prize nominee. Her chapbook, There are Crows in My Blood, was published by Pudding House Press in 2007 and another chapbook, Happy Darkness, was released by Finishing Line Press in 2011. She lives in Seattle.