Maria Claire Leng studies poetry at Bennington College with David Lehman, Lucie Brock-Broido, Susan Carlisle, and April Bernard, where she received the first Jane Kenyon Scolarship for Poetry. Her work has appeared in Grand Street. When asked about the source of inspiration for this poem, she had this to say: "Anger brought this poem on; the actors simply took the stage, as did the sultry evening."