Comment from I am Cat

Exceptional

This is like my poem, only on steroids! lol
I absolutely f'ing love it! It's so full of life, death, suicide, remorse, BRAINS, and introspection... I love it.
You're a f'ing genius, you are... and I know that you know by now, that I voted for your entry on Poem a Day... it has my name by it. I left it there with no shame... just so you would know that I know... you rocked this contest... no matter what happens... I think you killed it. ;) (you didn't kill Plath, Wevill and Teasdale.. .they did that... (and Ted helped) lol well, two of them maybe) LOL ;)
this rocks

It's hard to say, not being there,

What other traits that they might share,

I'm sure that most agree with me,

That such a loss is tragedy.



I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;

As Plath and Teasdale rise from villain's hell -

(I think I made you up inside my head.)



All the world will ask -- "What is wrong with Ted?"

Lured by Mad Girl's Love Song in villanelle -

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.



Assia eyes the oven, half filled with dread,

Alas - the wrath of Plath - she soon befell -

(I think I made you up inside my head.)



Wevill traded her life for Ted Hughes' bed -

When in Sylvia's flat he had her dwell.

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.



You fancied he'd live up to what he said?

Thus, this refrain became Wevill's death knell.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)





If they had stayed with their husbands instead;

Not one would have rung Death's untimely bell.

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)

(this may go down in history as one of my all time favorites... I know some of the lines aren't yours... and one is even part of mine... but oh my lord! this rocks! lol... you are SO creative!)

One lost to pills, two -- oven's gas:

Mourning Teasdale, Wevill, and Plath.

If only these poor tortured souls

Had found self-strength to make them whole.



Written there -- in their poetry --

Penned plainly for the world to see,

Would they have made such fatal choice,

If each had heard the other's voice?

(so true... how many lives have THEY saved, I wonder? now there's a poem in there somewhere... I bet. ;)

I just love this... might be my very favorite of all the poems, my dear... all 550+ of the Poem a day... I love it)

I am in absolute awe of all the lines, but above are my absolute favorites... well done Kim. And I'm sad to see it come to an end.
Some day, I hope someone does, for me, the wonderful thing you've done for these amazing poets. Great job
Cat

 Comment Written 03-May-2016

---

reply by the author on 04-May-2016

Hi Cat,

I'm sad to see it come to an end, too. Thank you so much for the comment in the voting booth and for this absolutely amazing review, Cat. You can't imagine how much I appreciate your response to this poem! I am so honored.

I just might have to start another book lol There are so many poets out there to explore.

Thank you for everything! :)

Kim

Comment from Pearl Edwards

Exceptional

My how clever you are Kim this April month of poems has really got your brain into clever creativity.
Yes such a loss is tragedy, but also there is much tragedy that they leave behind.Love Teasdale's line - A wave that never finds the shore - The way you go from quatrain to villanelle gives great impact to your tale. Fabulous

cheers,
valda

 Comment Written 24-Apr-2016

---

reply by the author on 24-Apr-2016

Hi Valda,

I have had so much fun reading and writing about all these poets this month. Thank you for this truly exceptional review. :)

Kim

Comment from dejohnsrld (Debbie)

Exceptional

It seems so much tragedy befalls those who write poetry. Is it that poetry is the cause, or that poetry is the result of a tragic life. There has been research done, but no definitive answer yet, but the two do go hand in hand. Excellent work, my friend~Debbie

 Comment Written 22-Apr-2016

---

reply by the author on 22-Apr-2016

Hi Debbie,

That is the magic question, for sure. They do say that from great pain comes great beauty... I'll hope for both our sakes that it won't have to be that way for us. :) Thank you for this most exceptional review. I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment.

Kim

Comment from Helen Bach

Exceptional

Wow this is great stuff Kim, I loved this and appreciate the work that went into it. I was left with huge suspicions about Ted Hughes after you highlighted his wives in an earlier post. What a fascinating way to tell the story using theirs and your words. I am not convinced Ted had a lot more to do with these deaths after researching him myself. Ted Hughes: poet laureate and murderer? Mmmm.
A worthy six in my book xxx

 Comment Written 21-Apr-2016

---

reply by the author on 21-Apr-2016

Hi Helen,

I haven't read Sylvia Plath's book, The Bell Jar, but I think I'll have to pick up a copy and try it out. One of the sources I read said Ted had said to them (all broken up after her death) that it isn't every man who was destined to kill a genius (I'm paraphrasing, it was something to that effect) I'd say if he didn't do it directly, he certainly felt responsible for pushing her into it. She had made an attempted overdose when she was in her Jr. year of college, and was considered unstable for most of her adult life. It probably didn't take much to push her over the edge, so to speak. Assia dying in just the same manner though? I didn't read anything in her history to indicate that might happen. She comes off as fairly manipulative and accustomed to getting what she wanted, by accounts. Maybe she thought she'd ruin him by taking her own life? Or, perhaps something (one) drove her to it... that's where the ghost of Sylvia idea cropped up. She was living in Sylvia's flat... I know that is something I couldn't do. And, she's the one that initiated the affair between her and Ted, one might have thought she'd be at least a little remorseful. She actually lived there with her husband, David Wevill, after Sylvia's death (while still maintaining the affair with Ted.)

Perhaps, I read too much! lol Thank you for the fantastic six stars and sharing your thoughts. :)

Kim

reply by Helen Bach on 22-Apr-2016

I actually read "The Bell Jar" many years ago. I couldn't understand why it got the acclaim it got. She came across as someone very damaged and needy and difficult. Depression can cause self absorption but Sylvia Plath takes it to a new level. Its a challenging read. Your recent posts have created a new interest in these authors and I will look at their work slightly differently now.

Comment from Leineco

Excellent

You pose an interesting scenario :-)

I wonder though, whether the fact that they were poets
is somehow the culprit? They lived in a time when
histrionics and drama were a revered aspects of being
a poet. Were they drawn to be poets because they
were clinically depressed. . .or were they clinically
depressed because they had embraced the stereotype
of the "suffering artist"?

Or, on the other hand. . .were their deaths the consequences
of the sexual mores of the artist caste they dwelled in - where
blatant adultery was tacitly approved of?

Alas, unless there is an afterlife where all the mysteries are
solved, we will never really know.

You have woven a very compelling poem of one of the possibilities :-)

 Comment Written 20-Apr-2016

---

reply by the author on 20-Apr-2016

Hi Leineco,

I'd say you have just added many other scenarios for the muse to contemplate :) Poets do seem to be drawn to that flair for the dramatic or the 'moth to flame' allure. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Kim

Comment from bichonfrisegirl

Excellent

Wow ... it is interesting to read that these poets committed suicide. It makes the reader wonder if writing poetry was their means of trying to keep from committing suicide for most of their writing years. We all know how therapeutic writing can be.

You did an incredible amount of research here, Kim. So good of you to share all your findings with your Fanstory friends. Well written and presented, and I really enjoyed reading about these poets.

Connie

 Comment Written 20-Apr-2016

---

reply by the author on 20-Apr-2016

Hi Connie!

Cat was my inspiration for this piece. I developed my ideas from hers and she had provided the back story about Plath, Wevill, and Hughes. I just did some reading and wove Teasdale's story into it. :) I'm so happy that you enjoyed the technique. I'm enjoying the reading and getting to know the different styles of each of the poets. I couldn't find any of Wevill's poetry online, only that they stated she was an aspiring poet and had done translating before she left Germany.

Thanks for the great comments and taking the time to read and review.

Kim

Comment from Pantygynt

Excellent

This amazingly complex piece of poetry takes up where Cat's poem left off. Normally we say "two's company, three's a crowd", but in this case you posit the proposition that the addition of a third suicide victim/perpetrator might have acted as as a steadying influence on all concerned.

"Would they have made such fatal choice,
If each had heard the other's voice?"

This is something we will never know but considering the possibilities makes for fascinating reading.

 Comment Written 20-Apr-2016

---

reply by the author on 20-Apr-2016

Hi Pantygynt,

I am so happy you enjoyed the style of this one. I wasn't sure it would appeal, but thought I'd take the chance. Poetry is what we make it, right? lol I thought presenting in their styles was the best way to let the dead speak for themselves. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. It is always fantastic to hear that I've fascinated the reader with what I've written. That is the best compliment! :)

Kim

Comment from CD Richards

Excellent

Very good work, Kim. You've done a great job of weaving this poem around the true story of these three unfortunate women. The inclusion of their own words adds to the dramatic effect really well.

A powerful piece, congratulations, and good luck in the contest!

Craig

 Comment Written 20-Apr-2016

---

reply by the author on 20-Apr-2016

Thank you, Craig!

I am so glad you enjoyed this one. It is so tragic that these young women would take their lives. Perhaps, writers are just sensitive and tortured souls. Thank you for the most wonderful review and comments.

*hugs*

Kim

Comment from Jannypan (Jan)

Excellent

Kim,
Wow! Your poem has so much in the way of history, quotes, reflections, and so much more. Then there is the great presentation--the rhymes, the colored fonts, the smooth flow, the image, and above all the ability to make the reader think about what you wrote.

I can see the hard work you put in to write this--the research, the planning, and the revising to make it perfect [I am assuming on the revising].

Good job and thanks for sharing. I like the line about the wave that never reaches the shore. Jan

 Comment Written 20-Apr-2016

---

reply by the author on 20-Apr-2016

Hi Jan!

The wave that never reaches the shore is a line from Sara Teasdale. :) She has some really good stuff, but clearly she was quite lonely. It is sad that her husband didn't recognize that before they divorced and it was too late.

I love to read, so mostly I've just been doing a lot of reading and searching how to emulate their styles. I'm so happy that you are enjoying my selections. Thank you for taking the time to read and share your thoughts.

Kim

Comment from honeytree

Exceptional

Very interesting art work
for these words written
and tragic and the words
described very well indeed.
Scary words as well.
A lot of thought has gone into these words.

Honey tree

 Comment Written 20-Apr-2016

---

reply by the author on 20-Apr-2016

Hi Annie!

Thank you so much for this exceptional review and your kind words. I appreciate you taking the time to read and leave your thoughts.

Kim