The Rail
Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from our favorite emerging writers
5/23/2021 0 Comments Father of Minerva, Mother of the Second Amendment & Persephone of the Carpool, by Michael J. CarterFather of Miverva Vulcan was my midwife with his hammer and tongs cleaving my skull to shake you free of me, my love. My gallstones were the anvil upon which your mother forged the armor you were born wearing: a better fit than the prom dresses I’d eventually spring for despite my reluctance-- you are no princess. Just look at me. At times it felt like indigestion the bilious fire your mother clattered over to make you what protection she could in the world designed for your destruction, afraid of your ferocity. Mother of the Second Amendment Now you can understand why I hid my every need the way a parent hides Christmas gifts. She had a voice that clattered like a silverware drawer thrown open, she banged the counters, slammed cabinets shut. I’m sad. I’d say. Punch the wall, she’d advise, you’ll forget it—but I couldn’t which seemed dangerous, but I had to choose. Persephone of the Carpool I’m a two-sport student and only one of them is masturbation. Since my mother disappears half the year I had to find a sport where I didn’t need a ride to practice. Plus, I train year-round, no matter what the weather, or time of day and I don’t need to buy any gear, saving money. In the summer, I swim on a team. She’s part of the carpool when she isn’t busy. Michael J Carter is a poet and clinical social worker. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College he holds an MFA from Vermont College and an MSW from Smith. Poems of his have appeared in such journals as Boulevard, Ploughshares, Provincetown Arts Magazine, Western Humanities Review, among many others. He lives with his two hounds and spends his time swimming and knitting.
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