she rented
this room
next door to mine
i often heard her crying
late at night.
whenever she saw me
though, she smiled,
said she wanted
to improve her life,
enrol in courses
to be better qualified.
i remember
laughter
coming through the wall
look, a shopping list
numbers, scribbles
her weekly budget
a picture, names of books
to read, pages ripped
or creased…
recently
at different times
i heard screams
when i saw her
she looked scared
scars across her skin
then she was evicted
we never met again