The Lines Are Open
Leatrice
The Lines Are Open
This poem is not about you,
but I’m at the microphone
coping with the disparity between
my will and my words,
my words and my voice,
the unaccountable chain of choices
that has placed me on this stage,
and while I’m bleeding out
these memories of everything else I’ve been
translating tales to blank-faced stares,
I wonder, as I cannot seem to stop,
what words you choose to give the world.
Originally from NYC, Leatrice studied at Sarah Lawrence College, moved to the UK to pursue a master’s at Oxford University, and has lived in Oxford since. Her writing focuses on belonging and mental health, and has been published in Blood + Honey, Corporeal, Feast Zine, and Magnolia, among others. Recently, she was longlisted for The Poet’s Workshop 2026 prize. This March, she was a featured poet at the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Trafalgar Square, reading from her debut poetry collection, Yearbook Signing (Reconnecting Rainbows Press, 2026).