Anthology
Christiane Carr
she/her
A selection of poems I have written throughout the lockdowns. Snapshots of the mundane; honest and real, and written entirely from the heart.
the earth shook beneath me
her plates collided and made heat
friction
trembling bones
a shiver scurried straight from my toes to my teeth
so fast that for a brief moment
I thought I’d found liminal space
or had I simply been shaken out of the
hell hole we call reality
and into a sunnier,
brighter existence where the birds sing everyday
and the sky is always baby blue
no
still here
She has arrived
unexpected
settling in the warmth of the womb
she is angry
fierce
igniting gradually, like the initial eruption of a sparkler
she is hungry
ready to devour
fruit, red meat and sweet sugar
she makes me crazy
emotional
estranged from myself
she comes
and goes
never for too long
until a time comes
anticipated
she’ll sheepishly disappear
home alone
that bottle of red you ordered
three nights ago
is still sealed
you pour yourself a glass
and put your legs up
it wets your tastebuds
delectably
you lean into
the brown velvet couch
that sits comfortably
in your cosy but capacious living room
the hum of the cars outside
soothes you
the dampness of your washed hair
cooling the back of your neck
you’re not lonely
but you wish he were beside you
touching your inner thigh
tenderly
you pour another glass
and wonder
if it’s going to be you and Barossa Shiraz
for the next six weeks
Your cobalt tongue
Licks the air eagerly
As you incite me
With your stifling stare
And crooked front teeth
Flames of manipulation
Emotional abuse
Dance around me
Like fireworks that are
Too loud
Trapped in your ring of fire
Lured by your magic
You lit up so bright
So bright I didn’t even realise
That you had blinded me
gaslighting.
Drained
Like a squished up orange
Rinsed of all the good stuff
It’s sweet flesh
And citrus pulp
The stuff that makes your tongue tingle
Has run away
And slipped down your cheeks
Which are soaked
Drenched in tears
Like a storm with no end near in sight
Emotionally greedy
And perfectly consuming
Of all that is righteous
Watercolour by Christiane