Two Girls by A. Light Zachary

A. Light Zacharyhas made the2021 CBC PoetryPrize longlistforTwo Girls.

Zacharyis also on the longlist forWhy bury yourself in this place you ask.

• 31writers make the 2021 CBC Poetry Prize longlist

The winner of the 2021CBC PoetryPrizewill receive $6,000 from theCanada Council for the Arts, have their work published onCBC Booksand have the opportunity to attend a two-week writing residency at theBanff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from theCanada Council for the Artsand have their work published onCBC Books.

The shortlist will be announced on Nov. 18and the winner will be announced on Nov. 24.

If you're interested in the CBC Literary Prizes, the CBC Nonfiction Prize opens in January and the CBC PoetryPrize opens in April.

About A. Light Zachary

A. Light Zachary is a writer, editor and teacher. They were awarded a fellowship in poetryby the Lambda Literary Foundation and a writing studio fellowship atthe Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Their new chapbook,I build it better,will be released in late 2021. Zachary is autistic and bigender. They live between Toronto and Grande-Digue, N.B.

Entry in five-ish words

"Eggs collide, but don't crack."

The poem's source of inspiration

"To survive my conservative all boys high school, I had to smother and neglect my queer, bigender reality. In the years after leaving that environment and beginning to understand myself, many of my former friends came out as transgender or non-binary, too.

I often think about how sad and beautiful it was for us to find each other in friendship and in lovebefore we knew who we were or what was drawing us together.

"I often think about how sad and beautiful it was for us to find each other in friendship and in lovebefore we knew who we were or what was drawing us together. This is not an autobiographical poem, but it was inspired by that experience."

First lines

Somewhere, two girls are kissing for the first time
on the bathroom floor in a dark suburban basement.
They are both pretending to be boys
for one another, for themselves, for everyone
but they are two girls, kissing for the first time
on the bathroom floor in a dark suburban basement
while classmates, holding beery teenage piss,
bang on the door and urge themhurry.

About the 2021 CBC PoetryPrize

The winner of the 2021CBC PoetryPrizewill receive $6,000 from theCanada Council for the Arts, have their work published onCBC Booksand attend a two-week writing residency at theBanff Centre for the Arts and Creativity. Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from theCanada Council for the Artsand have their work published onCBC Books.

The 2022CBC Nonfiction Prizewill open in January. The 2022CBC Poetry Prizewill open in April.