A Photo and its Negative

I was reborn in the fields of East Missouri. Woke up dead, dry rot. Found seaweed in my hair but didn’t know how it got there. I crept from the corn like a crow. Found you lying in your darkened bedroom drinking jack and coke. I crashed the bed and licked your lips in your sleep. You were something wounded, both rabbit and wolf. I couldn’t remember being born before. We bought a cat, a house by the river. Grew old.

(I was born on the ocean of the Eastern Shore. He hooked his index to the inside of my cheek and pulled, all sea foam, all pearl. I floated hours after him, gaining speed. He had eyes like the ocean, but his fist was made of metal. His eyes gleamed mean. I was only made of water. I could only drown so much).

Charlotte is from St. Mary's County, Maryland. She earned her MFA in Poetry from the University of Missouri -St. Louis in Spring 2018. She has poetry published or forthcoming in journals such as The Normal School, Salamander Review, CALYX Journal, the minnesota review, Potomac Review, and Puerto del Sol, among others. She is currently a contributing editor for River Styx. Charlotte recently moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee with her partner and their cat, Budlight. You can find more of her work at charlottecovey.tumblr.com