free love at tamera
Love is a state of being that can’t be possessed or regulated by laws
— Tamera.org
I bet my tour guide hosts somatic orgies
when outsiders like me aren’t here, observing.
In the community garden, he is a Greek god
plucking acidic grapes from a vine, testing
for ripeness. The village is motionless, sedated
with a silence that spreads over the bed of chamomile.
Everyone must be inside their eco-huts shagging.
A casual day in the practice of what I believe
free love to be - a nudist free for all. Maybe
It’s more civilised than I think. Maybe
I’m not European enough for this. Maybe
when the guidelines say authentic consent matters,
it means that upon residence, each girl is tested
on her ability to say no. I’d be required to show
I’ve never accepted a piece of cake I didn’t like
just because it was bought for me. Or drank
from the red sea parting my mind
from my body, just because it was uncorked for me.
That I’ve never passed out at a party,
woke to legs spread over a bed of lavender
sheets, breath fogging the hourglass of my thighs
and pretended to be asleep.
Carson Wolfe is a Mancunian poet exploring patriarchal violence and queer family making. They are a recipient of the Aurora Poetry Prize and an Ergon Theatre contest winner. Their work has appeared with Button, Hobart, Fourteen Poems, and is forthcoming on Reform Radio. They currently serve as a teaching assistant to Megan Falley on her renowned workshop Poems That Don't Suck.