Blood Box

by Zefyr Lisowski

Poetry. LGBTQIA Studies. BLOOD BOX, the deliciously haunting debut short collection from poet Zefyr Lisowski, takes us inside the infamous 1892 axe murders of Abby and Andrew Borden through twenty-six wide-ranging, stylistically experimental persona poems. Lisowski re-introduces us to mythologized spinster Lizzie Borden as we've never seen her before: a girl wielding an axe, yes, but also a girl trapped--in the boxes of age, of hunger, of loneliness, of blame. Lizzie, who was acquitted of the double murder of her father and stepmother, yet continues to haunt our cultural psyche over a hundred years later. Even now, "Violence dances with us like ghosts."

In these pages, the notorious crime and its cast of characters serve as a jumping-off point for a textured exploration of inherited violence, queer intimacy, and the way family can be "another geometry, another violence too." BLOOD BOX is Lizzie's story, but it's also the story of grief, of selfhood, of trans and queer becoming. Lisowski's Lizzie Borden is as sweet, sad, spooky, and haunted as a girl with an axe ever can be.

Genres: Poetry

52 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 2019

About the author

Zefyr Lisowski is the author of Uncanny Valley Girls, an essay collection about horror movies, exes, and intimacy (Harper Perennial 2025). A 2023 NYFA/NYSCA Fellow in Nonfiction and 2023 Queer|Art Fellow, she’s also the author of two poetry collections, Girl Work (Noemi Press 2024) and Blood Box (Black Lawrence 2019). Raised in the Great Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, Zefyr lives in Brooklyn and has seen grave robbers twice.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Not guilty" holds meanings in its skin too,
and I am deeply acquainted with all of them . . .

Blood Box is a magnificent and mesmerizing collection of poems based on the sad tale of Lizzie Borden, and the incident that occurred one miserable day in early August of 1892. We hear from Lizzie, her sister Emma, Bridget, the maid, and Lizzie's poor doomed step-mother, Abby. We feel the sweltering heat, sense the claustrophobia of those tight, boxy rooms, and smell the line-dried sheets being spread onto the guest bed. Whether you believe in Lizzie's guilt or innocence, you will be enthralled by these voices.

Do you know the worst part of an act. Its regret.

I normally read poetry a few pages at a time, but this short book begs to be read in one sitting.

Do you see it? Kindness
flocking like birds? I'm talking about a forgiveness
so close to touching you, you can taste it ---

I put it down, and sighed.

Then I reached for it again.

[Zefyr Lisowski]

It's undoubtedly gauche to give your own collection 5 stars! This is a rating I wouldn't even agree with myself—there are a few poems in this book, a year after I finished it, I think aren't there yet; there are a few themes that could be fleshed out further. But that's my own opinion, after reading this book many, many, many times over the course of editing. Mainly, I wanted to say—if you read this, if you liked it (or didn't!), if you've ever dealt with conflicted loss or desire or violence, please consider leaving a review! I'd love to hear what you think <3

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never wanted it to end and had to be sure to save it for myself to make sure it lasted as long as possible. Incredible collection.

[Tony Brewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My initial rating is through the roof - I enjoyed this greatly and want to take more time with it. I doubt my rating will decline - it just kind of ripped right through on a first quick reading and it will take some unpacking. Wonderful, conceptual, minimal.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the great privilege of receiving a signed and personalized copy of this collection from the author with its own drawing of Lizzie Borden! So thank you very much to the poet and to the the giveaway organizer! That said, I could not recommend this collection MORE highly. This is a deeply atmospheric, haunting, visceral collection of poems about Lizzie Borden. It is very queer and quite evocative and I’m thrilled to have read it. Here’s to the first of many readings to come!

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this sitting in a somewhat cramped 15 minute waiting room after my vaccine and it seemed appropriate maybe that's how Lizzy felt that year waiting for a verdict in the blood box and these poems from the perspective of each of her family members only help

Will re read.

[Thea Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absorbing treasure-puzzle that's especially enjoyable to read because WE WANT TO KNOW. I am inclined to go on a Lizzie-Bordon hunt to see what else I can find. Currently, I root for Lizzie.

[Benjamin Niespodziany · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true-crime project-book? Chilling and violent and compact and wild.

[Lisa M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's wine and chapbook time (ok, I prefer hard cider but I love the way that sounded!) I have a hoard of chapbooks and I have set a goal of drinking a little cider and working my way through them when I have free time.

Ok, onto the chapbook. This collection is an understated approach to an already heavily-examined, heavy-handed crime. I can admit that it took me some time to become invested, but the chapbook grew on me. This collection is a chorus of female voices gathering together to consider Andrew Borden and his ultimate demise. Andrew is a quiet, foreboding figure along with the house. We hear very little sung about him, but his presence is suffocating.

I appreciate this collection's take on the crimes; I haven't reviewed the case in years but I do believe that if something happened, it was a trauma reaction. People often react intensely when they are isolated, degraded, and abused. Lisowki is able to tap into the true horror of that house--the things that led up to the crimes--and manages the murders with a tight control of language.

On a side note, I am really picky about chapbook quality--it often ranges and is often poor. This chapbook feels great in my hands and the measurements are perfect for a collection with a wide array of borders. Black Lawrence, doing it again!