Strawberries
Strawberries
When I asked you, how to
say freedom in a Persian
dialect from Qom,
you laughed:
“You have to taste the word,
in chalk, blood, bite marks,
rubber, gas,
let it drip down, sweet fruit,
and find its place with you,
see how it feels in the back
of big yellow taxis,
in front of star patterns
in shattered glass.”
I took a rosebud from
the counter case, studied in light,
how feel to run out
with dynamite sticks and megaphones,
break car windows, slash tires,
pour sugar down drainpipes,
give gotten candy to onlooking children.
You said it was the same as
strawberries
Whether I liked them or not.
Carter Vance
Carter Vance is a writer and poet originally from Cobourg, Ontario, Canada and currently resides in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. His work has appeared in The Smart Set, Contemporary Verse 2, and A Midwestern Review, amongst others. He was previously a Harrison Middleton University Ideas Fellow. His latest collection of poetry, Places to Be, is currently available for purchase at Moonstone Arts Press.