Poets Are Present: Doritt Carroll

Poets are Present is a poetry residency in conjunction with David Ives’s adaptation of The Metromaniacs. As part of this unique theatre/poetry exchange, the Shakespeare Theatre Company is proud to host more than 30 D.C.-area poets in the theatre’s lobby. Throughout the run, we will share with you the poems that this residency inspired our guests to write. Visit our Poets are Present page to see a list of upcoming poets.

A native of Washington, DC, Doritt Carroll received her undergraduate and law degrees from Georgetown University.  Her collection In Caves was published in 2010 by Brickhouse Books.  Her book GLTTL STP was published in 2013 by Brickhouse Books, and the title poem was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her poems have appeared in Coal City Review, Poet Lore, Nimrod, Slipstream, Rattle, Plainsongs, Poetry Depth Quarterly, Maryland Poetry Review, Explorations, Negative Capability, Poet’s Canvas, Illuminations, The Baltimore Review, Journal of Formal Poetry, Harlequin Creature, Lummox, Commonthought Magazine, and Folio.

Web site:http://www.dorittcarroll.com/

Poem

By Doritt Carroll

the pond is unfreezing
the remaining ice a scab
the next warm day will peel

the geese look
expectant perplexed
like shoppers waiting
in front of a shut store

sap is flowing into limbs
that prick and tickle
coming out of sleep

daffodils pull their heads up
neck first
readying their trumpets

does all this mean anything?
i can only tell you that

as the earth thaws
we will at last be able
to bury our dead