While flipping through Fishouse, I found Lucy Anderton’s “Eve’s Sestina for Adam” and was immediately drawn to its sheer attitude. Here is the unapologetic voice of a woman who wants more and goes for it. Eve’s is a rare voice of female tenacity in a world where “He” (presumably God) “only could hear one side” (presumably that of Adam and all other men). I admire this Eve’s candor (“Clearly put, I was not born to be one / more pretty poppy in that garden”) and go-getter philosophy (“I wanted one / of your ribs. So I took it”). I also like the confessional tone of the poem, as if Eve is someone explaining herself in a police interrogation. Anderton as a poet is also pretty bold, as a sestina is a challenging form to master (and master she has, in this poem). I also thought it was a bold move on the poet’s part to use a homophone in the second stanza for one of her six end-words (“heirs” in place of “air”).
3 Replies to “The Boldness of Lucy Anderton’s Sestina”
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Hey Carrie,
I loved this poem too. From personal experience, sestinas can be super tough, and one can run out of ideas pretty quickly! I agree, Anderson was very creative in using “heir” instead of “air.” I also enjoyed the following lines:
“Felt my wild / heart crack with arias as my nails bit / into your side, sliding my fingers back / out, waving that slim wet bone through the air— –
I love anatomy in poetry, and Anderson definitely delivered on this front. You can’t help but admire Eve, and I found myself wanting to emulate her confidence.
I’m sitting here in France feeling great thanks to your careful attention to my little puddle of words! Thanks so much for noticing! — Lucy Anderton
Thanks so much for writing such a wonderful poem and inspiring your fellow writers!