Poet's Corner: Anne Sexton
Today's poem comes from Anne Sexton. The first time I read "The Ballad of the Lonely Masturbator" I was a sophomore at Penn State in my Women's Studies class with Dr. Lucy Morrison. Hands down one of my favorite teachers of all time. Reading and analyzing this poem was a lot of fun. I can't remember doing much of that in high school, but who can say, I slept a lot. Unfortunately, an outraged mother had the poem removed from the syllabus due to the sexual content. I can understand the inappropriateness in a high school classroom, but college? Really? Well, I'm not a fan of censorship. So, feast your brain on this! The Ballad of the Lonely Masturbator By Anne Sexton The end of the affair is always death. She's my workshop. Slippery eye, out of the tribe of myself my breath finds you gone. I horrify those who stand by. I am fed. At night, alone, I marry the bed. Finger to finger, now she's mine. ...