Tuesday, February 10, 2009

A Good Mantra

"I am a fortunate lady.
I've gotten out of my pouch
and my teeth are glad
and my heart, that witness,
beats well at the thought.

Oh body, be glad.
You are good goods."

-Anne Sexton

2 comments:

Bohemian Cowboy said...

My favorite Anne Sexton poem.


Us
>
>I was wrapped in black
>fur and white fur and
>you undid me and then
>you placed me in gold light
>and then you crowned me,
>while snow fell outside
>the door in diagonal darts.
>While a ten-inch snow
>came down like stars
>in small calcium fragments,
>we were in our own bodies
>(that room that will bury us)
>and you were in my body
>(that room that will outlive us)
>and at first I rubbed your
>feet dry with a towel
>because I was your slave
>and then you called me princess.
>Princess!
>
>Oh then
>I stood up in my gold skin
>and I beat down the psalms
>and I beat down the clothes
>and you undid the bridle
>and you undid the reins
>and I undid the buttons,
>the bones, the confusions,
>the New England postcards,
>the January ten o'clock night,
>and we rose up like wheat,
>acre after acre of gold,
>and we harvested,
>we harvested.

Grace said...

Wow! Upon reading this I was struck with two epiphanies:

1. That is an extraordinary poem! I've never read it before, and the ending in particular is so beautiful.

2. I really miss you, Mr. Shurtz. I want to come out to California and see your play ASAP!!

How have you been doing? :-)