Clearing

By Kate Carsella

Hello Hot Poets! We are coming to our last two posts of the year and the last few of our open call. Thank you so much for being with us this year! We thought we would end things with poems about clearing, cleaning, endings. This week we are so happy to share Kate Carsella’s poem “Clearing”. Thank you so much!

Clearing

Not like Dizzy. But trying
—what’s this jazz?

It’s a list:
Peaches was a dare. I danced
in front of the whole school
to whale song to spite her
for clapping me drunk.

Otis was a doorway. In through the out.

Chip was a pair of flesh gloves
who i loved who did not love me,
who loved Mauve. She didn’t love you,
sweetness. I hope you know. She took
a shine to your Taken.

Mauve was just too cool for any
body. Drove manual, sourced local,
a suitcase of vials, comforted by
mother/daughter manic pixie dream DVDs.

Fog was a tall poseur
with an underbite to beat the band.
We can never do this again, I said
after a scalding cold shower.

Kansas was my heart,
mirrored. She got a new mirror
down Cicero. Or was it Berwyn?
Bowlegged heart-stealing choreo queen.
Us in our hot pants with the kittycat,
laughing, knew it all.
Hey, Boo.

You all were right—I was a liar.
A liar to steal
your love. I could never earn
being myself. I was wrong about that, too.

Why do I confess?
So you know I know, too. Who foxed
Who? My fellow prairie
fires, I wish you soft
in love forevers.

Just please don’t come looking for me, thanks.
We stirred and smoked one another from our shores enough for ever.

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About the hot poet: Kate Carsella is a storyteller and poet. Her writing has appeared in Rat's Ass Review, Hunter's Affects, manywor(l)ds, Reverie Magazine, (the) Squawk Back, Catch, Cellar Door, and elsewhere. She was a finalist in the Driftwood Press Adrift Chapbook Contest (2022) and the Glimmer Train Fiction Open (2016). You are welcome to the bardic bullion poetry project at katecarsella.com.

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We are almost there! The year is almost done! Have hope & Hang in there <3