Watching Cherries Bleed
by Carly Ermer
University of The Incarnate Word
Carly Ermer, attends the University of the Incarnate Word where she is set to graduate in the spring of 2027. She is an English major with a double minor in Philosophy and Creative Writing. She enjoys writing and reading poetry in her free time, as well as short stories, but poetry has always held a very special place in her heart.
If I told you that cherry juice ran down your lips,
Could I kiss them just to feel something
Out of this?
I’ve admired and imagined,
But each scenario turns to an I wish,
And reality becomes a blank page awaiting
A story to be written;
Never to be,
Though the cherries you pit and the meat
Of them in your teeth remind of me poetry
Meant to be slipped into a locker
Anonymously.
This feeling is too close to love,
Unrequited, and to my heart and me.
So I will stare at your hands, the way they rip the fruit
Apart—watch it bleed—
And imagine the cherries as me.
Interview with the Author
What pieces inspired you to start writing poetry?
It was more of a friend that inspired me to start writing. Without her I wouldn't have begun writing. Growing up, I hated reading and writing because I had the lowest reading level in my class by quite a lot. When I was in high school, my friend was always reading a new book nearly every day. I expressed some interest in one particular book she was reading, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, and for my birthday a few weeks later she bought the book for me. Ever since then, I've been reading a new book every week and writing poetry and fiction short stories
What theme do you find yourself constantly writing about in your works?
I enjoy writing and exploring the juxtaposition between what we consider beautiful versus what we consider grotesque. I find myself leaning towards metaphors that have dark undertones but at surface value appear to be something much more innocent. I find myself writing the darkest things when I am at the lowest points in my life, but that poetry is true and powerful even in that darkness. "Watching Cherries Bleed" is a much tamer piece, but it is still very special to me and my experiences.
What do you think are important elements in thought provoking poems?
The most important element, at least in my work, is metaphors. Without any metaphors poetry can become too much telling rather than showing, and that special play on words is what makes poetry so beautiful to read. I like to think of it as words dancing together.
What role do you think poetry has on our society today?
Poetry is important because of its ability to convey hidden meanings. It gives a personalized meaning to each reader. There could be one reason the author wrote it, but the entire human population could relate to it in some way or another. Poetry connects us to one another, whether it is the writer's style that draws us in or the content the writer is writing.