In “Honor” of “Half The Sky”
Honor killing
The knife slides in
with force.
She is thinner than he’s remembered,
collarbone sharp
as hook he thrashes
against.
Mind snags heart, but
cannot aim for breast;
only knife can look
past nipple.
Smaller than
he’s remembered,
with too-soft skin that folds within
whites of eyes big as
blade.
He tries to think
of flame, the veiled
body of smoke, the dried
bone of ash, but blood–
fountains,
in honor of
the righteous
fountains.
Why has she made him
righteous
do this
with force.
***********************************
I’ve revised and rewritten this older poem (from my book, Going on Somewhere) after seeing the first half of the wonderful documentary by Nicholas Kristoff (of The New York Times) HALF THE SKY – about the opppression of women around the globe. (The name comes from the idea that women hold up half the sky.) The second half of the film will be on PBS tonight. It is inspiring/heart-breaking. My poem happens to deal with honor killings, but there is plenty of other violence and oppression of women going on among communities of many different cultural and religious backgrounds – unprosecuted rape, sex trafficking, neglect. Awful stuff; important to know–and do something– about; helping/educating women a key to helping the planet on almost every level.
I am posting this for dVerse Poets Pub Open Link Night, hosted by the marvelous Hedgewitch, a/k/a Joy Ann Jones.
Explore posts in the same categories: poetry, UncategorizedTags: all about Eve, Going on Somewhere by Karin Gustafson, Half the sky, HONOR KILLING, Honor Killing poem, manicddaily, oppression of women
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
ManicDDaily 
October 2, 2012 at 2:49 pm
This is brutally evocative, the feelings so intense…a difficult subject to write about, but you’ve pulled it off well, k. The repetition of ‘fountains’ is eerie and very effective. Thanks also for the heads-up on a film people need to see.
October 2, 2012 at 2:56 pm
Thanks. The film is excellent. The women, especially, that have started these organizations abroad are incredibly brave. They also happen to be amazingly beautiful. It is odd as Kristoff brings famous actresses along to get publicity for the causes, but the women themselves are just so much more beautiful. (No offense to the actresses.) k.
October 2, 2012 at 2:51 pm
oh heck k. – that made my heart stop – what a raw poem about such a terrible and difficult to-write-about topic…kudos…*pulls her hat*
October 2, 2012 at 2:57 pm
Thanks so much, Claudia. I’m not sure about the ending, but not sure how to change it either, so left the last line in. Thanks.
October 2, 2012 at 2:53 pm
Thank you for writing about this tough topic. And for the heads up on the film.
October 2, 2012 at 3:22 pm
Powerful… very powerful. Shocking and touching and saying things that need saying.
October 2, 2012 at 3:47 pm
A haunting image – and words…
October 2, 2012 at 4:50 pm
WOW! Such vivid imagery. I love it. You’ve chosen your words so well; I really like it when poets use the least number of words to convey optimum meaning. Excellent.
October 2, 2012 at 5:23 pm
Powerful write, k!
October 2, 2012 at 5:30 pm
This really grabbed me: “only knife can look past nipple”
I love your layered meanings in the last four lines:
“Why has she made him”
“Why has she made him righteous”
“righteous do this with force”
“do this with force” (talking to himself, all the while)
Excellent piece. Haunting.
October 2, 2012 at 5:40 pm
Powerful. Hard to believe that if we somehow stripped away the artistry here, we’d be left with journalism, reality. It’s hard to imagine this happening, but it does, all the time.
October 2, 2012 at 5:40 pm
honor killings…even the name of them makes little sense you know…ugh, vivid piece…will have to check out that documentary as well…saw an incredible one the other night on PBS about carl sandburg….ugh though on the oppression of women…or children or anyone anywhere….glad you will speak up…
October 2, 2012 at 6:15 pm
Oh this is very powerful, it made me cringe and it makes me so angry that this goes on…
October 2, 2012 at 6:20 pm
this is very well composed, loved the visuals, very tightly packed. and the ending a rather surprising turn. this documentary sounds interesting, i will have to check that out.
October 2, 2012 at 6:53 pm
Horrific. It might be crass to say this, but I’m glad I wasn’t born into a community like that. This sort of thing never fails to invoke within a feeling of rage nonetheless.
October 2, 2012 at 7:04 pm
Thanks for keeping these issues at the forefront with this write. The sufferings of these women are stories that should be told.
October 2, 2012 at 7:10 pm
Thanks. k.
October 2, 2012 at 7:33 pm
Karin, a vivid and powerful piece.
October 2, 2012 at 10:53 pm
Such a chilling piece, the photo also. Raw and smooth in describing her loss of spirit throughout the piece. Really nice to see someone speak up against this sort of human tragedy. A great piece, thank you.
October 3, 2012 at 12:41 am
That’s some trick, cool enough that I could keep reading without running away but wrenching enough that I didn’t breathe while I did.
October 3, 2012 at 10:21 am
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. Hope all is well. k.
October 3, 2012 at 1:22 am
read it slowly…word to word…..
they never make them do it….no….not ever…
you did a wonderful job here…
October 3, 2012 at 5:00 am
very vivid, chilling…a gut-wrenching poem…only the knife can look beyond the nipple….. feels great to come across a voice raised against this horrific practice..thanks
October 3, 2012 at 9:56 am
As a wordsmith, I adore your brevity, the sharpness of diction and form. I, too, have read Kristoff’s work and marvel at how you impart the message in this form.
October 3, 2012 at 10:20 am
Thanks much. k.
October 3, 2012 at 10:02 am
Peverse — the poem is peverse: a mirror of the heart and hands of the peverse killers — of them.
Well ‘executed’. Making us worry about you for writing such a thing is part of the power of your poem — “Thanks”, I guess.
October 3, 2012 at 10:18 am
Hmmm… Certainly the poem is not intended to excuse violence against women in any way. I think that the killers do try to justify themselves; I do not believe there is a justification. The poem’s trying to present a picture, no kind of excuse. k.
October 3, 2012 at 11:39 am
Oh, sorry, you misunderstood me. I did not think it was an excuse. It just painted a picture from an almost sympathetic perspect of a cold killer in ways — thus “peverse”. I think you did it very well.
October 3, 2012 at 11:44 am
On the one level, these issues are complex – on another – and I think the true level – they are absolutely simple – it’s all wrong wrong wrong wrong terrible terrible. The violence inexcusable horrible hateful cannot be rationalized.
But I kind of doubt that the killers are exactly cold, at least not some of them. I try to think how someone must feel if they are going after a sister. I can’t imagine how it’s possible and yet it happens all the time, right?
October 3, 2012 at 11:40 am
the title hints at the strength of whats to come . . .
and you do the subject the justice it deserves in the round . . .
i ,for one, could ask no more!
October 3, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Powerful write.
There can never be honour in killing…
Anna :o]
October 3, 2012 at 12:34 pm
Oh K, this is chilling and all too common….regardless the brutality/culture it takes…
On something that relates…..part of a world wide oppression is the mutilation of women through circumcism. It is done in many cultures, even some Christian. This barbaric practice attempts to cut out a biological foundation of womanhood.
A marvelous and evocative poem, K.
Brava.
Lady Nyo (Jane)
October 3, 2012 at 2:01 pm
Thanks, Jane. You are absolutely right. I was writing about that this morning, not such a great poem, but will probably post later as it’s such an important issue that any light shone one it is worth it. Thanks. k.
October 3, 2012 at 3:48 pm
K….I had some close experience with this horror. not directly, thank god, but I was a belly dancer for 8 years and worked with women from the Sudan, Somalia, parts of Egypt and Northen Africa and Algeria…all dancers. Some who had suffered this mutilation. there are four forms of it, each progressively more horrific than the last. That women are starting to speak out against this brutality world wide needs to be heard by humanity. The proceeds (royalties) of my second book: “The Zar Tales” go to to a woman’s group in Turkey. I write a lot about Berber and Turkish women. Luckily, they aren’t sacrified to this horror.
Can’t wait to read your poem.
Lady Nyo (Jane)
October 3, 2012 at 4:45 pm
Oh my goodness. I can’t wait to read your book– so interesting. (Well not the FGM stuff – which is just horrible.) But the dancing. What amazes me about a lot of the women is how incredibly generous they are in spite of terrible experiences. (I don’t mean the ones that go on perpetrating the horrors – that’s also amazing but in a very different way.) k.
October 3, 2012 at 12:39 pm
In a word, Karin, “haunting”. A subject which is not easy to write about at all. I like the use of short lines, it gives immediacy to the piece. Well done.
Pamela
October 3, 2012 at 1:13 pm
I’m sorry that I missed that film…… But your poem certainly says a lot about the things women have endured and should never have to. I normally try not to cross cultural lines because It can sometimes cause more friction than good. But some things are just so inherantly far from Godly intention that it is hard to ignore…. Nice poem Karin……
October 3, 2012 at 3:01 pm
once again, k., this is courageous. full of compassion and relentless truth.
October 3, 2012 at 3:19 pm
Thanks so much, Jane. I’m not sure that’s true, but appreciate your saying so. k.
October 3, 2012 at 3:50 pm
Superb.
October 3, 2012 at 4:38 pm
Powerful, important, …point of view eerie in hopes of understanding how anyone can execute someone they love(d). aaarrrrrgh.
October 4, 2012 at 1:12 pm
Tough to read–good job capturing the feellings of the perpetrator.
October 4, 2012 at 1:19 pm
Thanks.
October 4, 2012 at 1:25 pm
I love this. Such a consistent bite, a great tone throughout. Strong in every sense.
October 4, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Thanks, Fred.
October 21, 2012 at 4:56 pm
The sadness of such terrible torture and injustice. You have written about it well.