appealing

The Maynard
Fall 2019

Savannah Pulfer
0:00
 
 

Women of Trachis

SOPHOCLES
          takes a violent character and makes her
                              DUTIFUL,     makes her
                              WIFE,            makes her
                              DOMESTIC.

DEINARA,
          i too want to be made DUTIFUL
          i too want to be made GOOD
          i too want to be made INNOCENT
          STRIPPED of my family history
          UPROOTED from the soils that raised me

          called GIRL with my corpse lying in the marriage bed
                      bleeding out into a man’s sheets the way i am supposed to.

SOPHOCLES, tragedian,
          can you wash my hands of poison, too?
          show me how to be the bearer of someone else’s FAITH//
          i mean FATE//
          i mean can you show me how to be a WOMB//i mean WOMAN//
          the way i am supposed to be.

DEINARA, amazon,
          is it comforting to be reduced to a vessel?
          to be poured out by stronger hands?