Her Kind - A poem by Anne Sexton

Anne Sexton - Her Kind

I have gone out, a possessed witch,
haunting the black air, braver at night;
dreaming evil, I have done my hitch
over the plain houses, light by light:
lonely thing, twelve-fingered, out of mind.
A woman like that is not a woman, quite.
I have been her kind.

I have found the warm caves in the woods,
filled them with skillets, carvings, shelves,
closets, silks, innumerable goods;
fixed the suppers for the worms and the elves:
whining, rearranging the disaligned.
A woman like that is misunderstood.
I have been her kind.

I have ridden in your cart, driver,
waved my nude arms at villages going by,
learning the last bright routes, survivor
where your flames still bite my thigh
and my ribs crack where your wheels wind.
A woman like that is not ashamed to die.
I have been her kind.

Added: on February 18th, 2006 at 11:40 PM | Viewed: 17762 times | Comments and analysis of Her Kind by Anne Sexton Comments (5)

Her Kind - Comments and Information
Poet: Anne Sexton Poem: Her Kind Poem of the Day: Sep 20 2000 Comment 5 of 5, added on May 7th, 2007 at 6:28 AM. ** when i first read the poem i felt that anne was trying to communicate some kind of the outcast sentiment. for some reason that was the first thing that came to my mind cleo from United States Comment 4 of 5, added on March 1st, 2007 at 7:24 PM. First of all I would like to thank you for your comments becuase they helped me to understand the poem. I would only like to add the fact that the last stanza is an allusion to Joan of Arc who was burned at the stake for trying to be more than what society deemed a woman should be. Anne Sexton often uses references to her, and had a respect for Joan. ADIOS Diana from United States Comment 3 of 5, added on February 18th, 2006 at 11:40 PM. In utter agreement with Sarah: This was one of the first works of Anne Sexton I had read (during the brief interlude that I was not voraciously inhaling those of Sylvia Plath) and that's all it took for me to fall hook, line and sinker for her poetry. Keira from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Her Kind, has received 5 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Anne Sexton with others on the American Poems poetry forum!

Poem Info
Poet: Anne Sexton Poem: Her Kind Last read: Jul 19 2008, 6:34PM Poem of the Day: Sep 20 2000 Viewed 17762 times. Added on February 18th, 2006 at 11:40 PM.

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