Arlene Ang’s Comments

If my kid ever tells me she wants to be a poet, I’ll tell her to join the Mafia. Nicer people.
—Det. Megan Wheeler

My addiction to the series stemmed from my Facebook interactions with Law & Order pusher, Ellen Parker. She’d probably defend herself in court by pointing out that I already had addiction tendencies because of my childhood dream to become a detective. However, I only used NCIS and occasionally CSI—which concentrate more on forensic evidence—and never mind-bending stuff like L&O. And so I frittered away September 2009 by consuming all eight seasons of Criminal Intent in bed, with burnt popcorn and the not-so-occasional wine. Most of these poems are the result of rehab activities, which include poetry submissions, L.A. bar-hopping, and studies on how to perform the “perfect” Goren Lean in daily life.

In particular, “Want” was inspired by a Criminal Intent episode of the same title. The idea that a person would be driven to cannibalism because of a desire to connect with others just fascinated me. In this poem, I simply inverted the roles because women have as much murder and loneliness in their heads as men, if not more.