Where were you when you first read
Ariel
? Who were you? What has changed in your life? In the lives of women? In
My Ariel
, Sina Queyras barges into one of the iconic texts of the twentieth century, with her own family baggage in tow, exploring and exploding the cultural norms, forms, and procedures that frame and contain the lives of women.
When I am a bitch I feel in such good company.
Nice girls never gave me anything but trouble,
Eating the ground out from under me, then waving
As I fall. Pity one has to die to see how liberating
Bad can be. But what news had I of my own self?
Words landed like razors, hours tinkled, suitors arrived.
Listen, you'll think otherwise, but I tell you, betrayal
Is your Get Out of Jail Free
card. Take it,
Don't look back. Of course you will. Look back.
We always do, we who adore the muscle
Of our cashmere cells, a cock that makes
Our knees weak. Darlings, don't be sweet,
Or serviceable. Don't accommodate,
Write in blood or don't bother ...
Sina Queyras
was born in Manitoba and grew up on the road in western Canada. She has since lived in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, and Calgary. Most recently, she is the author of the poetry collection
MxT
, which received the QWF Award for poetry, the Pat Lowther Award, and the ReLit award for poetry. She has taught creative writing at Rutgers, Haverford, and Concordia Universityin Montreal, where she currently lives.