She wasn’t taught
to see her life
as worth a lot.
A son’s a gift
a daughter’s not
much cause for joy.
He may be mediocre,
he’s a boy.
But she’s a girl,
and doing better
in this world
has been her lot.
The only thing
he had to do
was show up.
He always knew
some other guy
would have his back,
a mentor. (He won’t
get the sack.) But
her, she’s in the line
of fire. One false
step, one stumble
in the mire, trips
the wire of
office politics and
out she goes. They’ll
hold the door, and
watch her leave—
then wink at her
as it closes.
Cecily Ross is a writer living in Creemore, Ontario. Her novel, The Lost Diaries of Susanna Moodie, is published by HarperCollins Canada.
Questions and Answers
Is there a specific moment that inspired you to pursue poetry?
I started writing poetry in February, 2021. My debut novel, The Lost Diaries of Susanna Moodie, came out in 2017 and although it was well received and reviewed in the usual places, the book did not earn out the substantial advance I received. When, a few years later, I completed a second novel, my editor at HarperCollins Canada declined to publish it because of my “sales track.” I very much wanted to continue writing (a daily habit) but the thought of beginning a new novel seemed futile. For that reason I started writing poetry and it has been a revelation. Whole new worlds of creativity have opened up for me. I am still very much a student learning to master a craft and I find the challenge completely absorbing.
As a published writer, what are your tips or words of motivation for an aspiring poet?
What inspired or motivated you to write this poem?
This poem is drawn from my personal struggle to succeed as an aspiring journalist, a path that has had many successes, but also many setbacks. I have a brother who is also a journalist and while I admire his talents and accomplishments, I can’t help but observe how smooth his road to success was, his way paved by an old boys network that is, happily, no longer as powerful as it once was. But for my generation, the playing field for women was anything but level.
What poetic techniques did you use in this poem? How much attention do you pay to form and metre?
Early drafts of this poem were in the first person, but I didn’t like the tone so I switched to the third person which makes the message more universal, less personal. The poem unfolded in short lines right from the start which creates a staccato affect that matches the current of anger the poet is expressing. I also like the way the short lines look on the page. The first five lines each have 2 iambic feet so very rhythmic, then it switches to variable (2.5), then 2, 1.5 and so on. There is also a lot of rhyme in this poem, not fashionable, these days I know, but I like it. Mostly the rhyme emerged organically but in subsequent drafts I added more rhymes (fire, mire, wire. Not sure if the last one works very well). At the end of the first stanza I abandon rhyme and iambic rhythm somewhat abruptly which, to me, feels like the poem drops of a cliff or a diving board, thus underlining the poet’s frustration. There is enjambment throughout: lines 5,6; 7,8 (my brother’s nickname is Oker, hence the hyphen); 19,20 and so on.