Caught by Charles K. Carter

CW: Anti-depressants

They say there are trace amounts of anti-depressants

in almost all of the lakes and rivers,

not from people flushing pills down the toilet

but from what remains in our waste

and I wonder if the fish are finding more balance in their lives,

if the fish are feeling any happier

or if they are uncomfortably numb, left living in a daze,

swimming directly into the fisherman’s net

because that’s how I feel.

---

Charles K. Carter is a queer poet and educator from Iowa. He holds an MFA from Lindenwood University. His poems have appeared in several literary journals. He is the author of Chasing Sunshine (Lazy Adventurer Publishing), Splinters (Kelsay Books), Safety-Pinned Hearts (Alien Buddha Press), and Salem Revisited (WordTech Editions).