Sarah Carleton

At the Lake

Let’s age in teal and turquoise like a pair of
sailboats collapsing on the shore, lush

with two-toned moss and spongy
wood. Let’s look out at the mist,

our hulls sunk into a beach of black stones
and lichen. Let’s list left together, adding

a new patch of color for every year that passes
as far docks creak, sending swells

to our sagging forms. Let’s lean into
days of moisture and hours of air,

decked in stains and molded by entropy
as we settle into silt.

.

Sarah Carleton writes poetry, edits fiction, plays the banjo, and knits obsessively in Tampa, Florida. Her poems have appeared in numerous publications, including Nimrod, Tar River Poetry, Cider Press Review, ONE ART, Valparaiso, SWWIM Every Day, and New Ohio Review. Sarah’s poems have received nominations for Pushcart and Best of the Net. Her first collection, Notes from the Girl Cave, was published in 2020 by Kelsay Books.

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