Lisa Stice is a poet/mother/military spouse who received a BA in English literature from Mesa State College (now Colorado Mesa University) and an MFA in creative writing and literary arts from the University of Alaska Anchorage. While it is difficult to say where home is, she currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, daughter and dog. She is a Pushcart Prize nominee and the author of a poetry collection, Uniform (Aldrich Press, 2016). You can find out more about her and her publications at lisastice.wordpress.com and facebook.com/LisaSticePoet.
April is the month of the military child
of gray clouds and drizzle, days spent indoors
daily struggles and sacrifices unnoticed
drawn out in crayon on white paper
girl with a blue scribble where a face should be
floats above a house without a roof
sing out in rhyme—
where’s the white bunny?
where’s the gray fox?
wrapped up in brown tissue
asleep in a box
steadfast child whom I depend upon
whose smile I coax to help me cope
put away the crayons, it’s time for a nap