Charles K. Carter


When She Shines


I think I would laugh if I were watching a Western set in the rural American Midwest
and a flock of bright green birds with bright yellow heads flew by.
I would find such a laughable error in filmmaking unforgivable.

The truth is, I don’t know what the world was like in Iowa in the 1860s.
But the Carolina Parakeet did exist in the heartland.
Its bright colors could be seen in the skies during that time.

It’s hard to imagine something shining so bright
amongst rows of corn and beans and trees and hills,
the browns and yellows and prairie grasses.

She ate the crops so she had to be taken down.
Her feathers would be plucked for the millinery trade.
(It’s all about fashion.)

When she shines so bright, she garners attention.
When she shines so bright, she becomes a target.

Charles K. Carter (he/him) is a queer poet who currently lives in Oregon. He is the author of Read My Lips (David Robert Books) and several chapbooks. He is also the creator and host of the video podcast series #SundaySweetChats. Carter can be found on Instagram and Twitter @CKCpoetry.

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