We shared books that summer
and conversation.
What would it have been like
to repair and then sail a boat?
We discussed the underlying
themes, wondering
what we would salvage
if we could.
And yet, I spent so much
of that summer pitying myself
for being stuck in a trailer
while my friends were away
at camps, Governor’s school,
or working jobs
to pay for nights at the movies
and cars. I had a bike
my step-father bought me,
easy access to the library,
and a mother who loved to read.
Why couldn’t I know, then,
that those things
were gloriously enough.
Jessie Carty’s writing has appeared in publications such as MARGIE, decomP and Connotation Press. She is the author of six poetry collections which include the chapbook An Amateur Marriage (Finishing Line, 2012), which was a finalist for the 2011 Robert Watson Prize. Her newest collection, Morph, was published by Sibling Rivalry Press in the fall of 2013. Jessie is a freelance writer, teacher, and editor. She can be found around the web, especially here.