It’s Hard to be a Diamond in a Rhinestone World by Caroline Crew


 
 

How do we code trapped in the light—
little spider in amber, extra in the camera
flash. I mean, I can’t ungloss myself.

Stuck, shining, the too-much
of attention: bunny or doe, as in Jane,
as in died of exposure, as in but where

was she putting herself. But, the road
was forgiven its ice. He says his glare
is only concern, a code for three Bud

Lights and certainty of absolution,
flames of compassion pinning me to ash.

 
 
 

Caroline Crew is the author of PINK MUSEUM (Big Lucks), as well as several chapbooks. Her poetry and essays appear in Conjunctions, DIAGRAM, and Gulf Coast, among others. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD at Georgia State University, after earning an MA at the University of Oxford and an MFA at UMass-Amherst. She’s online here: caroline-crew.com.