Cigarettes And Whiskey And Wild, Wild Women - A poem by Anne Sexton

Anne Sexton - Cigarettes And Whiskey And Wild, Wild Women

(from a song)

Perhaps I was born kneeling,
born coughing on the long winter,
born expecting the kiss of mercy,
born with a passion for quickness
and yet, as things progressed,
I learned early about the stockade
or taken out, the fume of the enema.
By two or three I learned not to kneel,
not to expect, to plant my fires underground
where none but the dolls, perfect and awful,
could be whispered to or laid down to die.

Now that I have written many words,
and let out so many loves, for so many,
and been altogether what I always was—
a woman of excess, of zeal and greed,
I find the effort useless.
Do I not look in the mirror,
these days,
and see a drunken rat avert her eyes?
Do I not feel the hunger so acutely
that I would rather die than look
into its face?
I kneel once more,
in case mercy should come
in the nick of time.

Added: on July 30th, 2005 at 5:02 AM | Viewed: 19308 times | Comments and analysis of Cigarettes And Whiskey And Wild, Wild Women by Anne Sexton Comments (7)

Cigarettes And Whiskey And Wild, Wild Women - Comments and Information
Poet: Anne Sexton (Anne Sexton Art) Poem: Cigarettes And Whiskey And Wild, Wild Women Comment 7 of 7, added on February 21st, 2006 at 11:43 PM. what sexton expressed in this poetry is true., there are times in your life where things would have to be just like was., minerva astoria Comment 6 of 7, added on September 4th, 2005 at 6:25 PM. Sexton is expressing the anguish which I think most passionate people feel, over the raw bruising nature of the world. The essence of poetry, I think, is honesty, and that is one of the most difficult things for any writer to achieve. I think Sexton has done so in this poem, which makes it a rare, powerful, and difficult work. In her naivete, Krystal asks an interesting question: "Are words worth pain?" I think the answer is "Yes;" indeed, words are the most valuable things we have, because words are what distinguishes us from all other living things. But the question is really backwards, because the pain comes first; the words are a response to the pain, and indeed may be all that makes the pain bearable. Dan from United States Comment 5 of 7, added on July 30th, 2005 at 5:02 AM. Although I´m not the greatest fan of autobiographical literature, there´s something alluring in this poem. Sexton writes truthfully, I guess. To the ones that question the worth of writing: it is argued that Sexton lived longer because of her writing. The pain comes first. Then the poetry. Niina from Finland More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Cigarettes And Whiskey And Wild, Wild Women, has received 7 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: Cigarettes And Whiskey And Wild, Wild Women Last read: Nov 7 2009, 4:11PM Viewed 19308 times. Added on July 30th, 2005 at 5:02 AM.

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