This selection, chosen by Managing Editor Krista Cox, is from My Family Was Like a Russian Novel by Carla Sarett (Plan B Press 2023).
The Nest
On a screen sky-wide, the guns
roared and handsome Anthony Quinn
fought smoky battles in a foreign land,
an island perhaps, but not Long Island.
And a woman, too, my mother said
she was up to no good. Maybe
there were bright stars and ocean,
but all I saw were rows of station
wagons and dads carrying popcorn.
My big brother and I, in soft pajamas,
matched as Superman and Supergirl,
in the rear of our white Oldsmobile,
back seats down. We ate movie candy,
glowing colored Dots, forbidden save for
movie-days and drive-in nights.
As we got sugar-sleepy, my father
leaned over to kiss my young mother,
beautiful as movie stars.
Back then, they still danced together.
My dark-eyed brother, my god
he was sweet, smiled and I thought,
this must be heaven—the four of us
in our shining white station wagon,
with all the other cars and families.
The war was far away.
Carla Sarett is a poet and novelist based in San Francisco. Her poetry books include She Has Visions (Main Street Rag Press, 2022) and two chapbooks, Woman on the Run (Alien Buddha Press, 2023) and My Family Was Like a Russian Novel (Plan B Press, 2023). Her work has been nominated for the Pushcart, Best of Net and Best American Essays. Carla has a PhD from University of Pennsylvania.
