Philogyny #3

McKenzie, V. (2013). “Philogyny #3.” In L. J. Christensen (Ed.), Poetry d’Amour2014: Love poems (p. 134). Inglewood, Australia: WA Poets Inc.

The work is in traditional Shakespearean sonnet form, which has a long association with love poems, but plays with persona and voice in unexpected ways. The title plays on the philogyny/phylogeny pun with a focus on female anatomy and floral taxonomy. Inverting Shakespeare’s formula, it addresses a female subject but may speak from a male or female perspective, a provocative and playful focus on ambiguous sexuality and female genitalia.