#erasures

Finished cigarettes and

the mauve sky kissed

the single speck of fulfillment

in the garbage

—

Source text: Levin, Ira. The Stepford Wives. New York: Random House, 1972. Print. Pg 7

Farewell self-inflicted wounds

wounded fragments

wounded sleep

I, myself with open eyes

rising

a Strega in the Lord

—

Pencil, gouache, ink on paper

I’m thrilled to have a few poems included in Erase the Patriarchy! The anthology of erasures, which came out from University of Hell Press in September, is a beautiful mix of creativity, snark, wit, anger, and humor. These poems root out the selfishness and misogyny found in men's sexual harassment apology statements, song lyrics, and poems; in court cases and political speeches; and from leaders within sports, religion, and education. In their introduction, Editor Isobel O’Hare writes of the pandemic and the 2020 US election (between two men who have both been accused of sexual assault) what is true of any movement for justice: "There is always some catastrophic occurrence, some crisis ever more urgent that beckons our attention away from those crying out." Which is to say that this book arrives in the midst of many other urgent concerns and daily coping as a playful reminder that the work is ongoing.

I contributed a series of erasures of Norman Mailer’s poems, using spices like red chili pepper below.

It's been a delight to contribute—and super exciting to read an array of voices who have gone in all directions for this prompt. I really, really hope that readers feel inspired to continue this project in their own unique ways. Below is a photo of several contributors at the virtual launch party earlier this year.

You can buy copies of Erase the Patriarchy here.