Abstract:
This poetic project was inspired by extensive research of the John Zeigler Papers,
a collection of letters between John Zeigler and Edwin Peacock, two gay men
serving in the U.S. military during World War II. The relationship between
Zeigler and Peacock is nothing short of extraordinary—they were homosexual
lovers living in the conservative deep south who were later enlisted into military
service and stationed in different Alaskan towns. The John Zeigler Papers
contains the correspondence between these two men spanning 1927-2011, with
the majority of their letters occurring during their separation throughout the war.
Due to the insurmountable intolerance of homosexuality during this time period,
the two were forced to disguise the nature of their relationship. For example,
they signed their letters with “Your Cousin,” in order to avoid suspicion regarding
their closeness and affection. Despite such direct efforts to hide their
partnership, their adoration for one another rings vibrantly in every singly letter.
Among the mundane details of their day-to-day lives in the army camps, both
Zeigler and Peacock are able to subtly convey their passion with short poems
and discreetly loving lines. The artistic strength of the letters is undoubtedly
enhanced by the fact that Zeigler and Peacock were both men of literature;
Zeigler in particular was an immensely talented writer who would eventually
publish two successful volumes of poetry, Alaska and Beyond (1984) and The
Edwin Poems (2007). Thus, their skillful writing masterfully conveys the utter
intensity and depth of their unthinkable partnership, as well as the heartache of
the prejudice and separation they must face. As a result, this stunning collection
of letters creates an enchanting love story entirely unlike any other. Their
correspondence is an absolute treasure and it is my deepest hope that my
poetry, in response to this breathtaking material, is able to effectively capture
and convey even a glimmer of the remarkable ardor between Zeigler and
Peacock in the face of staggering adversities.
