cars

i'm going to make a stretch now.

i think wanda coleman's "for women who cruise the night" is really interesting because driving (and cars in general) as a leisure activity/pleasure activity is so gendered. it took me awhile to realize what it was about this poem that stood out or struck me, but i think it has to do with the fact that we see so many examples in pop culture of men on the open road, men enjoying driving, men driving to escape problems/to blow off steam/to be alone, etc. men are allowed the indulgence of driving and the solitude it brings. the act of driving for women isn't as symbolic or extraordinary. women drive to pick up their kids from school, to go grocery shopping, etc. what we also get is that women don't know how to drive or maneuver cars. and then there's all the weird sexualization of cars in advertising, men giving "sexy" cars female pronouns, calling them "baby," etc. and also cars as sites of danger for women (in the form of men cruising women, verbally harassing women from cars, etc). cars can definitely be used to wield power and communicate status.

so, in this poem, women are accessing that leisure, agency, and independence. especially because she's acknowledging women who cruise at night. women are expected to protect themselves from danger by staying in, avoiding being out late or at night, due to the reality of sexual violence, harassment, and assault... women are often chastised for being out late, and held responsible for harassment or violence against them if they haven't taken the precaution to stay in. coleman is applauding women who take back the night, who are self-determined, strong ("bared and daring"). but obviously, there's also sadness here, because the woman/women in this poem are "wary and slit-eyed" and driving to escape years that "screech and scream" as they're left behind and "bad plumbing." so, there's a class element there, too.

the car is a place that allows you to transport yourself physically and emotionally away from certain realities, for a time.

also Terry Wolverton is a feminist lesbian poet and activist whose work explores identity and place.
so there's definitely some element of questioning power and sexism and carving out space for women.

and after writing all this and looking up some of Wolverton's poems, i found her "Poem to the Detroit River" (http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/237610) which is about the brutal beating of a woman who was dragged from her car by a man who was enraged after she sideswiped his car on a bridge. a bunch of witnesses were around but did nothing and while he was attacking her and cursing at her/threatening to kill her, she wound up jumping off the bridge to her death. i'm not quite sure, in terms of content, if there's a clear connection between this poem and Coleman's poem, but it could feed into the 'taking back' of the car and night i mentioned.