Two POEMS
Alex Carrigan
I Have Terminal Enchantment Right Now*
I’m tired of wearing rainbows as
scarves and starlight as earrings.
I don’t need to get drunk off fairy nectar
to ward off the curses and plagues.
I’ve had enough of white horses
whisking me away from danger.
Am I the damsel or the prince?
The story has changed so much
I can’t even remember who I am.
I just want to lay on the forest floor
without gifts of acorns and mushrooms
gathering around my head.
I want to drink tea without the
spoon turning black from poison,
to eat apples knowing the danger
is only in the seeds and not the skin.
I’ll set fire to the carriage and let
the horses run wild before
they carry me to my destiny,
I’ll lay traps for woodland animals
for when my pantry runs low.
I’ll shut my ears to the whispers and
won’t let curiosity consume me.
I’ve lived in the wonder for so long
I forgot how to be mundane.
I’ll leave all forests and castles behind,
secluding myself in the city.
Maybe that means I’ll turn into a witch,
but at least I’ll enjoy having enough
time to sit in silence.
* Title comes from a riff from the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode "Jack Frost" (S8, E13).
Entombed
I can’t get out from under my desk. I thought there was an earthquake, but it was actually a
potted plant falling off a balcony. I thought I heard gunfire, but it was actually a neighbor’s
allergies flaring up. I imagined there was a nuclear blast, but it was just a car speeding by.
I would leave the desk, but my neck fits perfectly in the crooks. My spine is cool against the oak.
I haven’t pressed my knees to my chest since the funeral. I can nurse off the ethernet cable if I
get hungry. If someone comes in, they’ll think this desk is actually a coffin, and when they try to
open it, I’ll chastise them for not respecting my burial site.
Then they’ll leave me alone, and I can go back to finding another reason to stay here.
I’m tired of wearing rainbows as
scarves and starlight as earrings.
I don’t need to get drunk off fairy nectar
to ward off the curses and plagues.
I’ve had enough of white horses
whisking me away from danger.
Am I the damsel or the prince?
The story has changed so much
I can’t even remember who I am.
I just want to lay on the forest floor
without gifts of acorns and mushrooms
gathering around my head.
I want to drink tea without the
spoon turning black from poison,
to eat apples knowing the danger
is only in the seeds and not the skin.
I’ll set fire to the carriage and let
the horses run wild before
they carry me to my destiny,
I’ll lay traps for woodland animals
for when my pantry runs low.
I’ll shut my ears to the whispers and
won’t let curiosity consume me.
I’ve lived in the wonder for so long
I forgot how to be mundane.
I’ll leave all forests and castles behind,
secluding myself in the city.
Maybe that means I’ll turn into a witch,
but at least I’ll enjoy having enough
time to sit in silence.
* Title comes from a riff from the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode "Jack Frost" (S8, E13).
Entombed
I can’t get out from under my desk. I thought there was an earthquake, but it was actually a
potted plant falling off a balcony. I thought I heard gunfire, but it was actually a neighbor’s
allergies flaring up. I imagined there was a nuclear blast, but it was just a car speeding by.
I would leave the desk, but my neck fits perfectly in the crooks. My spine is cool against the oak.
I haven’t pressed my knees to my chest since the funeral. I can nurse off the ethernet cable if I
get hungry. If someone comes in, they’ll think this desk is actually a coffin, and when they try to
open it, I’ll chastise them for not respecting my burial site.
Then they’ll leave me alone, and I can go back to finding another reason to stay here.
Alex Carrigan (he/him) is a Pushcart-nominated editor, poet, and critic from Alexandria, VA. He is the author of Now Let’s Get Brunch (Querencia Press, 2023) and May All Our Pain Be Champagne (Alien Buddha Press, 2022). He has appeared in SoFloPoJo, Cotton Xenomorph, Bullshit Lit, HAD, fifth wheel press, and more. Visit carriganak.wordpress.com or follow him on X/Twitter @carriganak for more info.