April 18 - A poem by Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath - April 18

the slime of all my yesterdays
rots in the hollow of my skull

and if my stomach would contract
because of some explicable phenomenon
such as pregnancy or constipation

I would not remember you

or that because of sleep
infrequent as a moon of greencheese
that because of food
nourishing as violet leaves
that because of these

and in a few fatal yards of grass
in a few spaces of sky and treetops

a future was lost yesterday
as easily and irretrievably
as a tennis ball at twilight

Added: on January 31st, 2005 at 11:41 PM | Viewed: 10711 times | Comments and analysis of April 18 by Sylvia Plath Comments (3)

April 18 - Comments and Information
Poet: Sylvia Plath (Sylvia Plath Art) Poem: April 18 Poem of the Day: Feb 10 2006 Comment 3 of 3, added on November 10th, 2008 at 12:55 AM. i don't know much about sylvia plath's life, but i think it may be possible she did not have a miscarriage, but rather an abortion. the beginning verse seems to be about bad memories trapped in her head, those she wishes to forget. this may be regarding her husband, because they ended after only two years. then when she's talking about the weird feeling in her stomach, maybe she's having the abortion. thus leading into the loss of a future, as lost as a tennis ball in the night sky, because anyone who's ever tried playing catch outside knows its quite impossible to follow a tennis ball in the darkness of night. mel from United States Comment 2 of 3, added on April 24th, 2005 at 5:02 PM. to me at the beginning of her poem it is talking about how everything piles up in her head and is stuck there. the second part is about a weird feeling in her stomach. she does not want to remember why it feels like this. a future lost yesterday is talking about a life, how she had a miscarriage. when she is talking about the tennis ball and the starlight is it saying how you know it's there and you can see it, but in a blink of an eye it's gone ali a from United States Comment 1 of 3, added on January 31st, 2005 at 11:41 PM. Trying to find the significance of the date. April 18 1958 - Sylvia recorded some 'excruciatingly formal' poems with Ted Hughes beside her, watching over her. In these recordings can be found "November Graveyard" and "Lady Lazarus". Other significant historical events on April 18: 1775: Paul Revere begins ride through Massachusetts, "The Brittish are coming". 1906: Earthquake in San Francisco (over 500 killed) 1942: U.S. planes first bomb Japan WWII 1949: Republic of Ireland independence declaration. Jo Tonti-Filippini from Australia More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, April 18, has received 3 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Sylvia Plath with others on the American Poems poetry forum!

Poem Info
Poet: Sylvia Plath Poem: April 18 Last read: Nov 8 2009, 9:03AM Poem of the Day: Feb 10 2006 Viewed 10711 times. Added on January 31st, 2005 at 11:41 PM.

Plath Info
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