Author of the Day: Anne Sexton, and I’m Home

What I like about Anne Sexton‘s work is her ability to be herself in her poetry, to write honestly about her life experiences and feelings no matter how morbid, to draw from biblical images (at least I think she does), and to be bold and use the imperative.  I really like her imaginative imagery, especially in this particular one titled “From the Garden,” which I think makes a reference to her stay in a mental hospital.  This poem, like a puzzle, is pretty fascinating to me with its many layers:

Come, my beloved,
consider the lilies.
We are of little faith.
We talk too much.
Put your mouthful of words away
and come with me to watch
the lilies open in such a field,
growing there like yachts,
slowly steering their petals
without nurses or clocks.
Let us consider the view:
a house where white clouds
decorate the muddy halls.
Oh, put away your good words
and your bad words. Spit out
your words like stones!
Come here! Come here!
Come eat my pleasant fruits.

—Anne Sexton

 ***

Had a great time in Vermont.  One of my favorite memories was wandering with Dan into Crow Bookshop and finding a practically brand new copy of A White Bird Flying by Bess Streeter Aldrich.  It looks like just the kind of book I would love to read.  The hardwood floors creaked as we walked across the store, what sounded like Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata played softly in the background.  I also enjoyed visiting a sophisticated chocolate store (also in Burlington) and having a delicious sandwich at the Red Onion Cafe.  The fireplace in the resort where we were staying was very cozy, too.  I miss the pink and blue mountain scene I saw each morning, but am happy to be back home.

6 comments

  2. A WHITE BIRD FLYING!?! A WHITE BIRD FLYING!?! THAT'S MY MOST FAVOURITE BOOK EVER!Hehe… Sorry. There are very few things that get me excited in life and Bess Streeter Aldrich's books are on that list. I really hope you enjoy it. :)I love that poem! I felt really soothed while reading it… (Which totally ended once I read the part about A White Bird Flying; now I'm all psyched. XD)

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  3. Amber, I'm glad you liked the poem. 🙂 Book shops do have a really nice charm about them…so fun to find new ones.Melee, Your comment really amused me! What a wonderful coincidence…finding your favorite book! I'll let you know what I think of it when I read it…(can't wait…but first I will finish Little Men by L.M Alcott) We tend to have very similar taste in books & music. 🙂

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