C H A RL IE CL A RK
Scarred on Sleeve When he asked about the scar she said it wasn’t what he supposed. Rather, she said, it was how god dog-eared the part of her he most enjoyed, though when he came back to her some time later, he couldn’t remember or see anew what it was in all ½}b  µ u F b 8 Y qbµ} of her that had moved him, so tried to smooth the wrinkle back, and in this way discovered what even a god cannot undo.
CHARLIE CLARK
33
J E NNIFE R STOCKDALE
Matt & Lucy 8²b } bË u ½8 Ë¢ 3b 8²b } bË u + ½} b Y¢ Honeymoons are a beginning. This is the beginning of our life with ½ FÂuµ¢ ,} µ µ ½}b ½ b É}b Ë Â µ ½ ½}b O ÂO} ? ½²Ë ½ ½ ub½ 8 µËO} µ 8½ O 8F ½ ½V Ë Â µ8Ë¢ µ8Ë É8 8¢ É8 8 O 8½ Ë Â² buµ¢ ,}b µ ½µ Ë Â² buµ¢ bO8µb n ½}b FÂuµ¢ 8 8n²8 Y ½}bË n ÉbY µ¢ ,}bµb FÂuµ 8²b b 8½½ ? ÂOË¢ ,}bË µbb µ ²b 8ÊbY¢ YË 8²Ë¯µ ½}b Fb8O} bÊOb ½ 8 F ½} ½}b F Y ? ½}b Fb8O} ? É Ë 8 µ 8²b F ½½b ½ ÂFµV ² O 8µ½ bV 8 µ}8 É µ} ²b¢  Y Ë Â²µb Èbµ 8 O8µ½ b ½ ½}b µ Ë¢ O8 ½b n² Ë o ub²½ µ ½}8½ 8 } ui O8 ½ }b8² µ O¢ bO8µb of the bugs. There were never any bugs, you say. Your voice is a O ÂY n Yµ½¢ µbb ½} µ É¢ 5 ² É} b F YËU Yµ½¢ 5  8²b 8 Yµ½ bunny. You have to be some kind of record. You were always just an ordinary-sized man: you must be well beyond the average for dust bunnies. This explains your imperviousness to the lice everybody b µb u ½ 8µ 8 Y¢ Ð µ Ë Â² nb8² n ½}b È8O ¢ Ë O}² O µ nqbµ ? O  O½ È ½ µ ? Ë Â 8²b ½}b ²bµ YÂb n 8 µ ¢ nbb ÂO} less creepy. Carrying this urn.
68
THE CAROLINA QUARTERLY
I Love You So Much ½² bY ½ ÂO Ë Â² bËb¢ ½ Ë Â¯²b 8 µ  Y µ bb b²l ,}b Y bb bY nn ² F b ¢ µ½8²bY ? Y²b8 µ  µbY ½}² Âu} ½}b bËbF8 V ½}8½ raggedy, amped-up spore. You captivated me by skittering across ½}b µÂ²n8ObU Ë Â² }b8Y 8 u Yb ²b½² bÈb²V O}8µ u 8 F8 ¢ µ ½½bY Ë Â² Y8Y O² ÂO} u b8² ½}b O ² b8 É ½} 8 O}ÂO ½¢ 8 u bY ½}b ½ n Ë Y ²½Ë ½} F 8 ½ µ§Âb O} } ¢ Ë YbÊ o ub² 8²  Y the fat curve as if taking the eye’s measurements. Sorry as a grape, ½ b ½ µ u¢ É8 ½bY ½ É8µ} ½ Ë Â½}¢ +§Â µ} ½ 8²  Y FË ½}b 8²µ ? ½bb½}b ub ½ Ë b Y8² u ˵b n ½ O} b 8 µÂ b²F8 ¢ bÊ bO½bY ½}b ½8µ½b n ²ÂFFb² ? µb8 µ8 ½¢ É Â Y¯Èb µ} É Â 8½ ²bObµµ 8 Y É ÉbY bÈb²ËF YË É ½} ½}8½ ½² O ¢ ½ É Â Y¯Èb Y b ½ }8 µ½b² µ½Ë bV ½ÂO bY ½}b O}bb q8 ¯Y O8²ÈbY¢ +ÂO b²µ¢ É Â Y¯Èb ½ uÂbY ½ Y8 Ë ? O nbµµbY Ë 8²µÂ 8 ½b Yb OË ½}b ¢ ,}8½ µ É}Ë Â²O}8µbY ½} µ O b n ² Ë Â¢ , 8 nË your gape.
J E N N I F E R STO C K DA L E
69
C HA RL ES M A NIS
Undressed for Sleep After a Fight You pin my corners to the bed we have unmade together, peel me in the darkened room, the cleave of my abdomen 8 O b8 F µbO½ V Ë Â² }8 Yµ q8½ 8 Y ½bY 8µ µ 8Ybµ¢ ½b Ë Â }8Èb n ²u ½½b Ë Â² u}½ 8²bµV yours and everyone else’s, that they have fallen, u ɲ8 b²µ 8 Y ½V n² Ë O b½µ¢ ¯ µ O n dying in your sleep, nose to snub nose with a revolver, µ}8½½b²bY 8u8 µ½ ½}b q8½ n8Ob n 8 O ½Ë FµV µ O n ½Â F u somnambulant into the mass grave of people you’ve loved. }8Èb O µbY Ë b8²µ¢ 8 O ½ ½}b ½ ÂO}¢ }8Èb 8Yb Â Ë Y¢ 5  µO É É}b Ë Â b8² ½}8½ 8 ub² ½ O µ}¢ Ë O²Âµ}bY ² Fµ É ½ É8 b Ë Â 8 Ë ²bV 8 Y Ë Â É ½ o Y 8u8 ½}8½ µ bb }8µ q bY b n8Ob Y É ½}b 8½½²bµµV ½ bY ½}b µ}bb½µ around my ankles, drawn a stream of spit from my lips. My mouth will be dry, our bed orderly, my posture upright. O8 }8Èb 8 8É n µ½ bV O8 É8½O} 8µ ½}b O Y 8 ² quivers over you, can sleep stilly and without dreaming. 8µ Ë ½}8½ Ë Â Â½ bÈb²Ë½} u F8O É}b²b Ë Â o Y ½V and stitch me back up before you go to sleep.
C H A R L ES M A N I S
93
K EIT H D UNL AP
In Memoriam n ½ b }8Y 8 b YV É Â Y µ½8Ë É ½} Ë Â É}b ½ O8 b¢ É Â Y } Y Ë Â² µ½ÂFF ² }b8YV е ½}b 8µ½ b Ë ½} Âu}½ n ½ ²b 8 bY¢ É Â Y ²b8Y 8u8 ½ Ë Â ½}b b½½b² That you wrote so long ago 3}b Ë Â Éb²b 8 µ½ÂYb ½ (8² µ Ð Y É8µ Ë Â² n8 ½} bµµ n² b Y¢ The letter in which you described 5 ² µ 8 V µÂ o bY 8 8²½ b ½ Ð Y ½}b µb ½}b Ð b² O8 O  b 8Yb вu u ½}b µ½²bb½ Fb É So that when the end came We would know exactly where we had been, Exactly where we had started, Ð Y bÊ8O½ Ë É}b²b Éb Éb²b ½}b ¢ We could read the last part together ½}b µO bV 8 µ½8 u b½½b²µ Of your handwriting at the bottom of the page Where you had carefully written: µ ½} µ } É bÈb²Ë½} u b Yµ¨
K E I TH D U N L A P
107