A Duplex for the Day After Retirement
By Sarah Carey
Leaving is trading one skin for another.
In time, they say, you grow into the other.
My new skin springs from its root bed.
At the foot of the bed, my crumpled covers.
At my feet, a dress I’ll never wear again.
I rise and step into the light of day.
I rise reckless, crazy, minus my veneer.
On the wall, Grandmother’s crazy quilt.
Her eidolon hands touch velvet overlay.
Through the interfacing, her hands touch my face.
My work is done; I come undone.
I piece my random scraps before and after.
Stitch self to self to graft a future fabric.
Leaving is trading one skin for another. Sarah Carey’s debut poetry collection, The Grief Committee Minutes (Saint Julian Press, 2024), was a finalist for the 2025 Eric Hoffer Book Award. Her second book, Bloodstream, is forthcoming from Mercer University Press in 2026. A North Carolina native raised in Florida, a Pushcart-nominated poet and former veterinary communications director, she explores place, familial and environmental loss, shifting selves and ancestral inheritance through the lens of Southern landscapes and scientific observation.
Support SWWIM on Give Miami Day! This special fundraising campaign is hosted by The Miami Foundation, which offers local, community nonprofits matching grants and awards. In other words, the more we earn, the more we earn. Early giving is open now, and the cycle closes on 11/20 at midnight. If you like what we do, please consider donating a small gift to support our work, raising the voices of women in Miami and the world! Here is the link to donate.
Join us for our last virtual writing workshop of the fall with a SWWIM editor! Get in touch with your creative energy, your “bruja,” your inner witch. We’ll explore the wonder, mystery, synchronicity, and enchantment of the creative process in our writing. Sign up for Mystics, Medicine, and Magic: A Yogic Journey to Poetry with Catherine Esposito Prescott on December 9. Broom optional.
12/11 / Poetry Reading and Conversation with visiting poet-in-residence Lesley Wheeler & local poet Haya Pomrenze / The BBar at The Betsy-South Beach, Miami Beach, FL / Live and Live-Streamed on Instagram Live/Facebook Live at @swwimmiami / 7-8:30 pm EST / Free
Are you looking for editorial feedback? SWWIM’s editors offer commentary on 3-6 pages of poetry. Submit here!
SWWIM Every Day accepts poetry translations for publication consideration. Please see swwim.org/submit for the full guidelines.
Are you a SWWIMmer with literary news to share (publication/feature/award/book/book review)? We’d love to shout out your accomplishments in our Weekly Spotlight! Please fill out this form with your news. (No DMs on any social media platforms, please.)
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, and Bluesky for more updates—and visit our website to see past, present, and future readings & events.
**We do our best to preserve the integrity of each poem; however, due to programming limitations, some poems may read differently on a mobile phone and in certain browsers. For best viewing, use Chrome on a desktop/laptop.
Oh, what a lovely poem. And I don't mind feeling a little sad after.