Feature: Carlton Smith Day 4

Smitten

I remember your tiny mouth of striking, rose red
Scarlet, pursed to mask the ever-present semblance of a grin

Green gothic eyes intensely gazed, intent upon your
Target, black hair painted a frame about your face

Your dagger sharp tongue, wielded with skill and precision
Devious and deadly it protected

You, yet still I saw your soft center, hidden deep and kept
Carefully protected, I could feel you long for comfort

That night you held my hand and slept upon my lap
I sat and listened to you breathe

© Carlton Smith

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Interview Question

How do you think your poetry/writing impacts the lives of others?

Carlton:

This is a good question. For me, poetry is about the human experience. In all of my writing I try to capture a certain humanness that I hope is conveyed to my readers. Even when a poem focuses on nature, or something of that sort, I strive to capture man's experience of it, as opposed to just the object itself. So, when someone reads my poems, it is my wish that they come away with a feeling of relation - that they can feel what it is that the subject or object of the poem is feeling. I believe this is a large task and not easily achieved and I'm quite sure I don't always succeed in my endeavor, but I hope that sometimes I do. And when I do I hope the reader walks away feeling like he or she was touched by the life and experience of another, or even ultimately can relate in such a way that they feel that the poem is about their own experience.