Ramblings: Sexton, Plath, and Me

 

Anne Sexton

 

 

“Live or die, but don't poison everything.” Anne Sexton

 

I had never read Anne Sexton until now- I rate her with the best, in my opinion, with Emily Dickinson and Sylvia Plath. I find it tragic that both Sexton and Plath committed suicide at fairly young ages- Sexton was 46 and Plath was 31. They were great poets with their feelings and emotions coming alive. I wonder what else they could have created, what other poetry did they have within themselves? I feel, in a way, we were cheated!

I understand all to well Sexton's stanza from Sylvia's Death which reads: "into the death I wanted so badly and for so long" and Plath's: "Dying/Is an art, like everything else/I do it exceptionally well" taken from Lady Lazarus. You see, I too, like these ladies, was suicidal- I was hospitalized 3 times in 2004, twice court-ordered and once voluntarily, for either being suicidal or suicide attempts. I know how these women felt; I know about the mental breakdowns that Sexton was prone to. I thank God that my attempts failed! I love life and each and every day that the good Lord gives me!

Life is never easy and it seems to, sometimes, have more downs than ups, but nothing is worth suicide. Why rush it-death will take me soon enough-ready or not. Emily Dickinson said it best: "Because I could not stop for death/he kindly stopped for me-" I will not stop for death either- he will stop (kindly, I hope) for me! (This is my favorite all-time poem, well, along with Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken)

I admit I get more from writing poetry than reading it, but I enjoy some poems tremendously-you never know until you read them! Poetry is good for one's soul. Poems are personal to me, I feel that one should not interpret poetry in a broad spectrum sense, but to discover what it is saying to us personally. We should strive to gain something from poetry, perhaps an insight to ourselves. (By the way, I loathe most love poems.)

Writing poetry is a good stress reliever and you can get out thoughts, emotions and feelings, plus it is a fun way to play with words. I really enjoy keeping a poetry journal-sometimes I just write down words that sound interesting and play around with them, it's also a good idea to have a good dictionary and thesaurus- I have an excellent one on my smartphone that I use daily, it is available on Google Play (Android) and is called ColorDict.

Sorry I got off the main subject-Sexton and Plath, when it comes their suicides, I feel lucky to have the help that I have had and continue to get. Back in these gals' day, there was little help but hospitalization, and patients were usually treated cruelly and inhumanely, so many people did not seek treatment and suffered alone. This finally started changing in the 1950's when deinstutionalization was enforced, with real change coming in the 60's and 70's. It is so sad that these gifted women cut their own lives short. I would like to have read more!

                                                                             Sylvia Plath

 

                                                                                   

"I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead; I lift my eyes and all is born again." Sylvia Plath