Amberlee Carter Poems

leave me-
sun, moon, stars
wilting, glass fixture and iris
...

Mother woke me this morning,
her voice, a rattle of earth and worms-
it may not concern you, she is dead.
...

I woke, awkwardly
in the dim light of morning
to find the world hushed in newborn snow.
...

They gave me reality alterations-
told me to rest:
tomorrow will bring better days.
I question the existence of tomorrow-
...

I am writing this alive and with a fever,
'cause I needs to sweat out the virus
and breathe calmly without choking, for once.
...

I want to remember the world this way:
The light, steadfast on the windowsill,
a breathless sky and the autumn as beautiful
as it is bitter.
...

I take sleeping pills
to anoint the ache,
stay awake long enough
to feel myself float
...

Becker was sitting on the steps
in the final moments of day-

catching fireflies with his fingers,
...

dry grass prickles my feet,
9 years old ignorant toward
the feeling that paralyzes my heart,
creates a lump in my throat-
...

(who are we to question faith?
when we've yet to answer the call to duty,
for faith questions all)
...