Carcinization

by Caridad Cole

Recently I learned that everything becomes
a crab or a tree and I want to feel
my bones, stiff, my skin, rough,
dry, sharp, and one hundred years old
because most nights I think about being
somewhere else
where the green grass looks so smooth
I wouldn’t even have to lift a foot
to glide right over to the other side
and see evolution get to me
the way I know it always does

Caridad Cole is a second-generation writer and filmmaker from the backwoods of New Jersey. Her Pushcart-nominated work has been published by The Poetry Lighthouse, EastOver Press, Coffin Bell Journal, and elsewhere. She currently lives in Los Angeles, where she edits Moonday Mag and Chainmail Poetry. Other projects can be found at caridadcole.com or @astrocari on Instagram.