Carrie Conners

 

THE BASKING SHARK

roams the ocean, jaw unhinged, trolling for tiny plankton to filter through its gills and fuel its bulk. It looks silly really, bordering on foolish, its endless pelagic migration guided by a mouth embarrassingly large even for its enormous body. But, its shameless display of desire is admirable in its honesty. Think of the time we’d save if we accepted our cravings and pursued them so unabashedly. Dating, for instance, would be a much simpler process. No more agonizing, no more “he loves me, he loves me not.” If his mouth doesn’t fall open at the sight of you brushing your hair, cut ties and recommence roving the earth in search of what feeds your heart.

 
 

Carrie Conners, originally from West Virginia, lives in Queens, NY and teaches at LaGuardia CC-CUNY. Her book Luscious Struggle was published by BrickHouse Books in 2019. Her poetry has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and has appeared in BodegaKestrel, RHINOChautauqua, and The Monarch Review, among other publications. She is also a poetry reader for Epiphany.