On the Making of a Bitch & Other Siren Songs
Poetry
by Senai Asar
Part of the story of the bitch is embedded in the story of the siren. Interpretations and definitions of what they both are generally stem from one root cause– a male-dominated society’s attempt to malign women who do not follow societal mores designed to constrict female sexuality. Given this common source and origin, it is not difficult to imagine so-called bitches singing along with their mythical siren sisters of their shared experiences, their shared stories.
In this poetry collection, the sirens of ancient Greek mythology have been given a different (perhaps truer) voice that challenges their reputation as a “dangerous temptress”. With this new altered guise, these mythical creatures of fantasy are able to step away from the persona created for them by male writers of antiquity, and begin to tell their own stories– singing songs with lyrics of both love and hate, of heavens and journeys, of music and storms. These poems (in the imagined words of siren songs) reflect the living spirit of this world— its yearnings and desires, its hopes and dreams. Although we can never know for sure, still we would like to imagine that the sirens would have rejoiced to have this opportunity to give voice to these vivid expressions of the human spirit, not only at its highest, but also at its lowest, and always somewhere in between.
REVIEW
5 out of 5
This was a beautiful, evocative, sensuous collection. The poems tell a cohesive story, and draw you through from page to page with vivid imagery. Each poem provokes an emotional response of some kind. Definitely a poetry collection that will linger with me, and I’ll be re-reading over and over again.
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