One Poem
by Sara Hovda
“Sing in me, Muse”
Trans womanhood, the sirens’ song—
and me, Odysseus tied to the mast.
These ropes cut my arms
as I struggle, as the other men, deaf, see only
hideous figures, crooked claws.
What was it Circe taught me?
Unruly women are more
frightening than magic. But isn’t it magic
that beats my heart: woman, woman?
In this story, the heroine breaks free
of the hero, of the mast, of her men
and swims ashore, which is not a trap
but a home. I transform
into siren. I sing
the one song I’ve always known.
Sara Hovda is a transgender woman living in Minnesota, where she works as a freelance writer and online entertainer. She will be attending the MFA program at UC Riverside in the fall. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in magazines such as Frontier Poetry, Nimrod, and Nashville Review, among others.