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title
"... brevity is the soul of wit ..."
- William Shakespeare

Alex Carrigan

 

Ars Poetica for James

After "Ars Poetica for the Gay Bitches with Too Many Tote Bags" by Eli V. Rahm

I recently threw out some tote bags that had been in
my car's trunk for years. One had James Baldwin on it,
but had mold growing over his face, a green scar across
the sketch of his face. I hated throwing James away,
consigning his visage to rot and tear in a landfill somewhere.
But then I think of how many people like him were hidden away,
left to become beds for mold before they were also disposed.
I feel like I should crawl into my trunk and wait
for the mold to grow over my face and into my throat.
I'll wait for someone to clean out the trunk and determine that
I'm not safe to keep around or worth cherishing.
When I finally allow myself to rot and tear,
perhaps then I'll know more about what it means to be
expected to carry something essential but fail to deliver.