Poets | Members | Poem of the Day | Top 40 | Search | Comments | Privacy
July 25th, 2008 - we have 237 poets, 8036 poems and 17720 comments.
Anne Sexton - The Other

Under my bowels, yellow with smoke,
it waits.
Under my eyes, those milk bunnies,
it waits.
It is waiting.
It is waiting.
Mr. Doppelganger.  My brother.  My spouse.
Mr. Doppelganger.  My enemy.  My lover.
When truth comes spilling out like peas
it hangs up the phone.
When the child is soothed and resting on the breast
it is my other who swallows Lysol.
When someone kisses someone or flushes the toilet
it is my other who sits in a ball and cries.
My other beats a tin drum in my heart.
My other hangs up laundry as I try to sleep.
My other cries and cries and cries
when I put on a cocktail dress.
It cries when I prick a potato.
It cries when I kiss someone hello.
It cries and cries and cries
until I put on a painted mask
and leer at Jesus in His passion.
Then it giggles.
It is a thumbscrew.
Its hatred makes it clairvoyant.
I can only sign over everything,
the house, the dog, the ladders, the jewels,
the soul, the family tree, the mailbox.

Then I can sleep.

Maybe.

Added: Feb 21 2003 | Viewed: 2767 times | Comments and analysis of The Other by Anne Sexton Comments (0)


The Other - Comments and Information

Poet: Anne Sexton
Poem: The Other
There are no comments for this poem. Why not be the first one to post something about it?

Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, The Other, has not yet been commented on. You can click here to be the first to post a comment about it. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Anne Sexton with others on the American Poems poetry forum!

Poem Info

Sexton Info
Copyright © 2000-2008 Gunnar Bengtsson. All Rights Reserved. Links | Bookstore