5 February, 2025
no one exists behind
the lens no one
but another body
standing in darkness
1950s streets they called
the beautiful women
transvestites
words
hadn’t changed yet.
only in the dark
would their faces
stare out like models
only not.
I am drawn
into her eyes they tell
me love
is transformation
I want
Carla Schick is a queer nonbinary activist who grew up poor with a love of language that fed their imagination. Along with language and poetry, they discovered jazz as a way to bring rhythm and spirit into language. Their works can be found in the anthologies Colossus: Body, Moonstone Press: Which Side Are You On, and Pure Slush’s lifespan series. They are most recently published by Sinister Wisdom, Fourteen Hills, and Forum. Carla was a 2023 recipient of a Literary Award in Poetry from Nomadic Press/SF Foundation.