Nikki Ummel

When the Famed Male Poet Came for Me, Too

“…we learned to call them beautiful / they came like honeybees to hyacinths…”

—Diane Seuss, “the famous poets came for us they came on us or some of us”

you tell me swallow refuse to let me spit

but you don’t want to taste my poems

too sour you said of me

too pretty for poetry pretty enough to [ ]

you weaponized the word pretty

i swallow

naked i this poem i

swallow

you stroke

you stroke my cheek

tell me

still [ ] still

you write

your poem

on me

my back

a page

your [ ]

of poetry

pretty

taught

me

pretty

and i

lyric i

[ ]

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Statement of Homage

When I first read Diane Seuss’ book, frank: sonnets, I was a baby poet, not even a year into my poetry journey, and my professor, Carolyn Hembree, told me I’d like Seuss’ work because “she’s a broad, like you.” This was before frank: sonnets won the Pulitzer, so I went into the book somewhat blindly and fell in love with the way that Seuss wrote so nakedly about difficult and dangerous things. I had already experienced sexual solicitation at this point by a well-known male poet in my community and had yet to reconcile the encounter, had yet to identify it with abuse. Seuss’ poem “the famous poets came for us they came on us or some of us” pierced the soft cloth I’d wrapped around my middle to keep that piece of my new life (so similar to my old life) buried. Not here, I wanted to believe, not in poetry, my refuge. But Seuss reminds us throughout frank: sonnets, and specifically within the aforementioned poem, that yes, even here, even in poetry. So, I wrote my own poem, continuing a conversation I was only just realizing women poets had been having for centuries, and I felt very sad. But I also felt seen, and held, and since, somewhat healed. And I have two incredible poet-broads, Diane Seuss and Carolyn Hembree, to thank for that.

Diane Seuss

Diane Seuss was born in Michigan City, Indiana, in 1956 and raised in Edwardsburg and Niles, Michigan. She is the author of six books of poetry: Modern Poetry (Graywolf Press, 2024), a finalist for the National Book Award; frank: sonnets (Graywolf Press, 2021), winner of the 2022 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry, the 2021 Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the 2021 National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry, and the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; Still Life with Two Dead Peacocks and a Girl (Graywolf Press, 2018), a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Poetry and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Poetry; Four-Legged Girl (Graywolf Press, 2015), a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; Wolf Lake, White Gown Blown Open (University of Massachusetts Press, 2010), a recipient of the Juniper Prize for Poetry; and It Blows You Hollow (New Issues Press, 1998). She lives in Michigan.

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