Two Poems from Natalie Carpentieri

Cast Out

cast out of her small, simple minded town
our heroine has stumbled
her hair is a bloody mess
rumors echo from corner to bakery to market
there was never time to figure out
who was married to whom
or who had 2.4 kids
she just likes to be wanted and desired
loves the feel of silk
and rough, wood torn hands on her skin
the sound and heat of breath to wake her

she counts street signs with familiar names
washington street - madison avenue
counts mini vans and volkswagen beetles
whipping past her windows
punch buggy blue (there's no one to punch)
clears tears out the corners of her eyes
makes decorating plans for
the void in her heart
and pushes the pedal down




Where she crawled, where she bloomed

Washington DC is no place for little girls
pigtails and pink dresses don't blend well
with the politics and protests
the big city didn't agree with her
and a selfish father had already left
before she reached double digits

Her mother packed her girl's heartbreak
and left it behind in the corner
of the basement in that heavy handed city
let her daughter grow up on Jersey tomatoes
let her wade on the murky shores
let her bore her feet into sand and melancholy
well into her twenties

But the west coast beckoned her mind
and she packed up one more time
left behind some uncertainty
and a chance at love
for the lighter sand of the Golden State
a year 'round warmth that held her tightly
and gave her ample room to bloom
to fall in love with the ocean again
to heal her burnt New Jersey heart


Natalie Carpentieri is a 27 year old poet born in Washington, DC, raised in New Jersey and now living in California. A few of the online journals Natalie was most recently in are Baker's Dozen Literary Review, Sunken Lines, Drown In My Own Fears and Gold Wake Press. She also enjoys music, rollerblading, photography, drawing, the beach and hiking. Her website is http://nmlorenzo.googlepages.com/




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