I’m writing this post in defense of Lizzie, 6, not for the act itself, but the means of presentation. More specifically, instead of focusing on the actions itself, I hope it’s clear that I support the medium of poetry for an expression of rape, distrust, and entrapment.

Over Christmas break, I read a book by a New Zealand author, Alan Duff, called Once Were Warriors. The story focuses on Maori’s living in government housing and the abuse, violence, alcoholism, and otherwise bleak outlook for the indigenous people living in New Zealand.

One of the most tragic parts of the story is the rape of the main characters (but hardly protagonists) daughter by her uncle. I’d never read something so gut-wrenching and difficult. Alan Duff pulls no punches. The book is cruel realism to the fullest. The rape is described over the several pages, and the girl, Grace, later hangs herself as a consequence of dealing with the complexity of emotion.

Lizzie, 6 reads much differently. Hardly graphic, but equally devastating, the poem explores rape from an assumed paternal source. Most damning is the thoughtless twists the father figure puts on her answers. “I’ll give you the moon,” “I’ll give you fields,” and “I’ll give you the dark” represent a lazy and abusive turning of words. They don’t even make sense! It portrays the rapist as stupid, domineering, and sick.

While the end result still tragic, I found Lizzie, 6 a much easier read than Once Were Warriors. To me, it highlights the way poetry can evade graphic detail while maintaining the raw emotions associated with something as vile as rape. Duffy is able to convey rape in a way that still cuts the reader without revealing every detail. For me, that’s the power of poetry. Poetry condenses large issues into tiny, figurative passages. Recognizing this also makes the sex in Duffy’s poetry easier to read. Sex becomes a symbol for something bigger than itself.

For me, that’s the power of poetry. Poetry condenses large issues into tiny, figurative passages. Recognizing this also makes the sex in Duffy’s poetry easier to read. Sex becomes a symbol for something bigger than itself. I’m impressed with Duffy’s use of poetry for exploring complex issues of gender, abuse, and relationships.

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