Caren Stuart
dis-order-panic
the wave is building
grains of sand are being sucked from underneath your feet
warm water's rushing all around you sweeping bits of you
away the wave is building higher wider darker grains of you
are being sucked away from you the wave is cresting under
towing bits of you what was you isn't you you're grains of
sand you're salt you're jagged broken bits of shell the wave
is crashing you are crashing you are churning you you're
murky dark and yellow light you're churning jagged broken
bits and sand and salt and murky yellow light and dark and
dark and dark you are released you're foam you're clinging
to yourself your foam your clinging air is tearing tufts of you
away you're clinging to yourself your foam you're foam your
clinging you are disappeared another wave is building
Bio
Caren Stuart is an award-winning poet/writer/artist/maker and a lifelong North Carolinian who joyfully lives in the wilds of Chatham County with her very supportive husband and cat. She's the sole proprietor of "convoluted notions" which allows her to dream up, create, and sell her one of a kind pieces of art and craft. She's a frequent organizer of and attendee at all manner of artsy and writerly events. Her writing has most recently appeared in Kakalak 2020, moonShine review, and the Poems of The Heron Clan anthology.