This is the poem I've had the hardest time starting: a letter from Lilith to Eve. Is she condescending? (The poem sort of starts out that way, with the "I hear you bought into the rib tale".) Forgiving? Does she understand why Eve made the choice to stay and play the role of subservient helpmeet? Is she proud of Eve for tasting the forbidden fruit and showing some spirit even as she stayed in voluntary servitude that Lilith herself wouldn't have stood?
I conceived it as a letter from a rebellious older sister to a more obedient younger sister - a few secrets about hidden pleasures, some advice, some respect, and a grudging admission that their roads are likely permanently divergent, but a raw reminder that they're not so terribly different. And yes, this is definitely informed by my relationship with my sister, from whom I'm pretty much estranged. My hope is that the complicated relationship between sisters - the frustration, the love, the envy, and the tenderness - all shine through. A tall order, I know.
Update: poem removed because I've sent it out for competition after some additional revisions. If interested, either comment or email me and I'll shoot you a copy!
4 comments:
nice job. What I like about this poem is that it brings in yet another side of Lilith--she isn't showing her usual angry face here. Sure she's still bitter, but there's a lot of tenderness too.
Thanks! I'm pretty happy with it as a first draft. I do find the longer I work with Lilith as a character, the more mellow she's getting - I think I had to get the anger/indignation out of the way to delve a little deeper into her character. Am looking forward to more of this tone, I think.
send to me please!
Has been sent!
Post a Comment