As a survivor of domestic violence, I’m happy to represent with my highly personal poem “Carina, Carina,” which is included in Under Her Eye: A Women in Horror Poetry Showcase, Vol. II. I’ll be joining editors Lee Murray and Lindy Ryan for the Pixel Project YouTube panel session this Saturday. I’m a firm believer that we can make a change by raising awareness about the continuing epidemic of violence against women. I hope you’ll join us live on November 25 at (6:30 pm MDT/8:30 EDT) HERE. You can order the book online HERE.
“Seeing stars, they call it,
as though cartoon characters
and spinning symbols
can capture a chokehold,
police lights shifting, spinning
from red to blue to red
haze, a starburst, vessels broken,
petechiae spotted on a field of white
surrender in the keelhauling,
barnacles replaced with the mundane,
chains wrought in butter knives,
jelly spoons scalloped.”
Excerpt from “Carina, Carina” in Under Her Eye: A Women in Horror Poetry Showcase, Vol. II (November 2023)
In other related news, my poem “Sleeping Beauties” is featured in The HWA Poetry Showcase, Vol. X. This is my fifth appearance in this annual showcase.
“The Instrument:
a sliver of flax, needle-sharp
spindle, corset, a fine-toothed comb,
poison apple;
the dead girls dream in concert,
a nebulous connection—cursed.”
There is more news on the horizon. Stay tuned!
Carina Bissett 