Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Emo Poetry Time

So, I've been feeling blue lately. You don't have to be suicidal to appreciate Sylvia Plath. And her life was fascinating even without the suicide. I busted out my contemporary poetry anthology (a Norton anthology, thank you very much. I don't fuck around.) and I wanted to read this poem. Tulips. It's...unexpected. It's scary and sad. It's how I feel today. I was going to copy it over, but it's long. So I'll put some lines that I particularly like, but you can read it in its entirety here. And you really, really should.

"I am nobody; I have nothing to do with explosions."

"I didn't want any flowers, I only wanted
To lie with my hands turned up and be utterly empty.
How free it is, you have no idea how free--
The peacefulness is so big it dazes you,
And it asks nothing, a name tag, a few trinkets.
It is what the dead close on, finally; I imagine them
Shutting their mouths on it, like a Communion tablet."


"The tulips are too red in the first place, they hurt me...
A dozen red lead sinkers round my neck."

The whole thing is better. Read the whole thing. You'll like it.

Go read Tulips.
Emo Jillian

2 comments:

  1. I fell in love with Sylvia Plath when i was 15 and i read the belljar. the love affair has not ended. she is still my favorite poet on emo afternoons when i feel like brooding :)

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  2. Thanks for the comment, Mimi. ;) I love Plath as well. I haven't read the Bell Jar, but her poetry is really powerful. I like that it isn't always beautiful or flowery. It's harsh and upsetting and makes you uncomfortable. Everything a postmodern confessional poet should do. Everything going on in our heads and hearts isn't always pretty, and Plath doesn't hide it. So good.

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