ISSN: 1941-4137
POETRY THAT ENACTS THE ARTISTIC AND CREATIVE PURITY OF GLASS
POETRY THAT ENACTS THE ARTISTIC AND CREATIVE PURITY OF GLASS
Susan Nguyen hails from Virginia but currently lives in the desert where she is at work on her MFA in poetry at Arizona State University. She is the poetry editor for Hayden's Ferry Review and the recipient of two fellowships from the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing. Her work has appeared in PANK, diode, The Rumpus, and elsewhere.
Most Noble, Heroic, and Virgin Lady
Suzi’s mother tells her / the legends of women / the Trưngs sisters / with their army of mothers and daughters / the first to rebel against the Han / call themselves Queen before drowning / disappearing into the sky / Lady Triệu riding / into battle / on an elephant’s head / her breasts a meter long / tied behind her back / these are not fairy tales / her mother says / we are people of war / women / will always sustain / I have been to their temples / woman means immortal
I have been taking Vietnamese language courses for the past few years and recently started learning about Vietnamese myths, legends, and folklore. The figures that I am always most drawn to are the female heroines or warriors, which is where this poem draws its inspiration. The title comes from a Wikpiedia translation I found of one of Lady Triệu's given titles.
Glass: A Journal of Poetry is published monthly by Glass Poetry Press.
All contents © the author.
All contents © the author.
