the weight of it all
by Alexina Dalgetty
How heavy is a city? How heavy is a woman, a baby, a man, a misbelief? How heavy is a word? How heavy is a poem? How heavy is revenge? How heavy is beauty? How heavy is a terrible beauty? How heavy is a drop of rain? How heavy is an old dog? How heavy is a bird? How heavy is a caged bird? How heavy is a shard of broken glass? Heavier than a night without stars? How heavy is a hope. How heavy is a home. How heavy is a last hope. How heavy is a smile?
Alexina Dalgetty’s short stories are occasionally published in print and online journals, including Agnes and True and Stand Magazine (forthcoming). Her debut novel, The Cleaning Woman’s Daughter (2023) was published by Liquorice Fish Books, an imprint of Cinnamon Press. Her second novel, A Crack in the Map won the 2024 Cinnamon Literature prize and is scheduled for publication in spring 2026. She lives in Camrose, on Treaty Six territory.