Asylum
By Jan Beatty
After Roselia Foundling Asylum and Maternity Hospital,
corner of Cliff and Manilla
This is the house I was born in.
Look at it. Asylum.
Narrate it:
Notice the sloping cornice, look at the curved windows, etc.
This is the house I was born in.
The cast-iron balconies / not wide enough for bodies.
Look at the photos:
3 stories, 8 front windows and a wide door.
Dark red brick / inlaid with brown stone.
Women’s bodies / expelling / banishing /
Leaving the babies there.
Look at the photos, include the photos.
Source: Poetry (April 2016)