Sarah 5:22

By Sarah Carleton

Beware false poets who write

odes to gestation, sputtering doggerel

caught in its own fumes like a car that won’t start

—drivel clogged with ego spit—

for they title it Law and graffiti this glop over

the verse we women breathe when we soar past

nailed guy, robed guy, whining guy, dollars guy

to a place as lofty as a cloudless womb.

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Sarah Carleton writes poetry, edits fiction, plays the banjo, and knits obsessively in Tampa, Florida. Her poems have appeared in numerous publications, including Nimrod, Rise Up Review, Chattahoochee Review, Tar River Poetry, Crab Orchard Review, Pirene’s Fountain, Able Muse, Valparaiso Poetry Review, and New Ohio Review. Carleton's poetry has received nominations for Pushcart and Best of the Net. Her first collection, Notes from the Girl Cave, was published in 2020 by Kelsay Books.