Self-Portrait as Cedar Chest
By Carolyn Oliver
Generous size to
hold what it hides.
Opened without leave,
draped with what doesn’t fit.
Crouched under the window,
basking beneath the night.
When it slams shut,
count your fingers:
here’s a hinge never
soured with rust.
About the Author:
Carolyn Oliver’s poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in FIELD, Indiana Review, Cincinnati Review, The Greensboro Review, Booth, Glass, Southern Indiana Review, Sugar House Review, and elsewhere. She is the winner of the Writer’s Block Prize in Poetry and the Frank O’Hara Prize. Carolyn lives in Massachusetts with her family. Links to more of her writing can be found at carolynoliver.net.
About All Accounts:
All Accounts and Mixture is an annual online feature celebrating the work of LGBTQIA+ writers and artists. For this series, we seek work from authors who self-identify as "queer," while acknowledging that this designation is subjective and highly personal. Our goal is to provide a forum for writers whose voices might be mis- or underrepresented by the literary mainstream. Submissions are open from June 1 to July 1. Poetry, prose, visual art, reviews and interviews will all be considered. Visit Submittable for more details.