Every morning,
I used to send positive text messages
to my closest friends,
hoping to bring a little sugar
to these bitter days.

Lately,
I have stopped texting people.
I have stopped calling.
I stopped singing.
I stopped laughing.
I stopped masturbating.
I stopped picking at old scabs.

I now lay in a grave
of matching pillowcases
stuffed with mismatched pillows
waiting for someone who loved me
to show me love in the present tense,
waiting for someone to resurrect this dead thing.

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Charles K. Carter (he/him) is a queer poet from Iowa. He is the author of Read My Lips (David Robert Books) and several chapbooks. He can be found on Twitter and Instagram @CKCpoetry.