Sylvia Plath (October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963 / Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts)

God, this is so grotesque. It's also one of my favorite poems by Plath (though that isn't saying much) . I really like how she uses language and sound and connects different elements to convey a story....but it's so morose I can hardly stand to read it.

Is it very strange that I can empathize with this poem... in any case, this is one of my favourite poems from one of my favourite poets, so I felt I had to leavea comment. Sylvia had a lot of power when it came to using words.

Not a poem, but a punch in the gut, a scream of rage; it is perfect in the same way a boxer lands a perfect punch. Or better, the way a doctor without anaestehtic makes a perfect incision: hurtful and hard to watch, but life-affirming if you look through the physical event.

Most absolutely one of my all time favorite poems. She is absolutely amazing here.
I cannot help but mention, however, that the word 'you' in the line 'I have always been scared of you' should be italicized - as should 'knew' in the second to last line. These words were underlined in the typed manuscript of Ariel and Other Poems that Sylvia left on her desk (a facilimile copy of which is available in the RESTORED edition of Ariel - published last year) . There are many (myself included) that feel the highlighting of these words is... critical.

A beautiful sad poem in all it's tragic intensity!