My Boy by Sarah Tsiang

Sarah Tsiang has made the 2018 CBC Poetry Prize longlist for My Boy.

• 30 writers make longlist for the 2018CBC Poetry Prize

About Sarah

Sarah Yi-Mei Tsiang is the author of 10 books, including poetry, picture booksand fiction. Her 2013 book Status Updatewas nominated for the Pat Lowther Award and her 2011 book Sweet Devilry won the Gerald Lampert Award. She has been widely anthologized in such collections as Best of the Best Canadian Poetry, Poet-to-Poetand the Newborn Anthology. She currently teaches poetry through UBC's optional residency MFA program.

Entry in five-ish words

Complexity of raising a boy.

The poem's source of inspiration

"This long poem is part of a pair of long poems about raising my daughter and son. My Boyis a meditation on masculinity."

First lines

My young son is fascinated by violence. He begs
for a toy gun. I keep telling him, "it isn't okay
to pretend to hurt someone" and hold his
baby-dimpled fists from hitting.

And yet, I've taken up Krav Maga
and Kickboxing. I dream of it, combinations
twisting the sheets, euphoria like knuckles

About the 2018CBCPoetry Prize

The winner of the 2018CBCPoetry Prizewill receive$6,000 from theCanada Council for the Arts, will have their work published onCBC Booksandwill have the opportunity to attend a writing residency attheBanff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from theCanada Council for the Artsand have their work published onCBC Books.