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July 25th, 2008 - we have 237 poets, 8036 poems and 17725 comments.
Anne Sexton - Red Roses

Tommy is three and when he's bad
his mother dances with him.
She puts on the record,
"Red Roses for a Blue Lady"
and throws him across the room.
Mind you,
she never laid a hand on him.
He gets red roses in different places,
the head, that time he was as sleepy as a river,
the back, that time he was a broken scarecrow,
the arm like a diamond had bitten it,
the leg, twisted like a licorice stick,
all the dance they did together,
Blue Lady and Tommy.
You fell, she said, just remember you fell.
I fell, is all he told the doctors
in the big hospital.  A nice lady came
and asked him questions but because
he didn't want to be sent away he said, I fell.
He never said anything else although he could talk fine.
He never told about the music
or how she'd sing and shout
holding him up and throwing him.

He pretends he is her ball.
He tries to fold up and bounce
but he squashes like fruit.
For he loves Blue Lady and the spots
of red roses he gives her

Added: on May 21st, 2007 at 7:01 AM | Viewed: 11168 times | Comments and analysis of Red Roses by Anne Sexton Comments (9)


Red Roses - Comments and Information

Poet: Anne Sexton
Poem: Red Roses
Volume: 45 Mercy Street

Comment 9 of 9, added on March 10th, 2008 at 8:03 AM.

the final line of this is "red red roses"

dennis harrington
Comment 8 of 9, added on January 30th, 2008 at 11:36 AM.

I am a Gcse student and we are doiing this peom in english at the moment and it is for course work we have read into it alot and i can tell any one who is interested that Ann Saxton abused her own children when her husband was away and also that she commited suicide ater the 3rd or 4th attempt
P.S and one who is interested in these type of poems look up Seamus Heaney "Bye Chil"

danny from Ireland
Comment 7 of 9, added on May 21st, 2007 at 7:01 AM.

I personally thought that the symbolism of the rose (full of thorns) and the welts that the child gets from the thrashing were brought across. I think the music that is played is used to prevent neighbors from hearing the cries of the child. It also show how violent the mother thrashes the child over minor mistakes that children are prone to make.
Also it shows how sometimes societies legal safety nets are unable to protect everyone.
(ps. if anyone has any insightful comment on Sylvia Plath's Ariel pls tell me.)

Jolyn from Singapore

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