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Sally Bliumis-Dunn: Women’s Voices
Ancient Greeks and Romans believed
women had two mouths, an upper and, in the genitalia,
a lower. Both led to a vacant chamber guarded by lips
that are best kept closed.
When women wailed, they were walled
outside the perimeter of the city.
The anatomical deck is stacked against us—
lower voices vibrate in the vocal folds
more slowly as though more
certain of themselves.
I read that switchboard operators were instructed
to speak slowly to mimic this effect.
That when Margaret Thatcher took voice-
lowering lessons, she was told
to speak as if she had a penis and a cold.
I imagine the lush contours of my daughter’s voice,
vibrations churning through the small bones of her face
as she reads her three-year-old son a story,
the precise notes of my grandmother’s voice
finding their way through the steam as it rose
above her kettle of borscht.
~
Note: the quote is from Ann Carson’s essay “The Gender of Sound”
~~~~
Copyright 2025 Sally Bliumis-Dunn
Sally Bliumis-Dunn teaches Modern Poetry and Creative Writing at Manhattanville College, the Personal Essay at the 92nd Street Y and offers manuscript conferences at the Palm Beach Poetry Festival. Her books include Echolocation (Plume/Mad Hat, 2018).
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I love this poem. “The anatomical deck is stacked against us—”
Both of my daughters have low voices. My younger daughter has a beautiful alto singing voice. I sing alto too.
As a woman in this world, there have been so many times I have not been listened to, or heard, no matter the register of my voice.
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I know that phenomena of not being listened to, Lisa. Feels horrible in so many ways. Thanks for sharing your story.
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I can vibrate with this poem, and, yes, our Margaret lowered her voice. But she also aimed for an upper-class accent, since she was the daughter of a grocer, and in English English you can hear the difference very clearly. Even words you use (or don’t, ever). What I am trying to say is, there are so many differences, and the voices of men are not more commanding, but have been accepted over the generations as such. And women have been taught to be high-pitched, gentle, soft, un-threatening and here in Latin America women still artificially lift their voices to the sometimes an almost squeaky level: “mi amor, mi rey”. Women are less strong pysically (biceps-wise), but far stronger in enduring pain and adversity.
An interesting poem, much to think about. I think the Greek ‘thing’ wasn’t a belief, but a joke. A bad one. Even then… Yes, I wish my voice were lower.
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Such interesting anecdotes, Rosemary. Thank you.
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This is a remarkable poem on many levels, best left to women to explore. Ending with a grandmother’s voice above her borscht is liberating in its own way, I would think? Would most women?
I can only add that I was a child prodigy boy soprano, but my voice changed. That was looked upon as a blessing by my parents and me. Not so much the choir master. So many sexist and psychologically damaging underpinnings to our culture of voice. Deep voiced women singers are categorized as sultry, as I suppose a compliment.
Sorry for my thoughts, if not appropriate. Have been thinking about voice issues all my life.
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It is a charged subject, isn’t it?
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Such a moving story. Thank you for sharing it.
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I love this poem with its revision of classical misogyny’s view of women’s two mouths better left closed. A poet and recovering (retired) scholar of Renaissance literature especially that by women, I got engaged in a lot of misogynist English poems and prose, marginalized until recently. The two mouths are bandied about in that often bawdy discourse. Thanks for bringing this to contemporary language and countering it in this very fine poem, Sally Bloomis-Dunn! And for quoting Ann Carson! And thanks for the cool post, Michael.
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Thank you, Mary, for all the cool work you do.
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You are super-kind, Michael, and work your ass off in these here vineyards!
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So kind of you, Mary! Thank you!
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I’m afraid I replied to the clam poem mistakenly caught in the “gun” of its charm. But these mouths and eloquent, evocative speech and my imagining of where Maggie would and did put that implement. Such world as this!
At least we have brilliant poets to help us with our woe.
She’s wonderful!
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Yes!
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