Anger,
as black as a hook,
overtakes me.
Each day,
each Nazi
took, at 8:00 A.M., a baby
and sauteed him for breakfast
in his frying pan.
And death looks on with a casual eye
and picks at the dirt under his fingernail.
Man is evil,
I say aloud.
Man is a flower
that should be burnt,
I say aloud.
Man
is a bird full of mud,
I say aloud.
And death looks on with a casual eye
and scratches his anus.
Man with his small pink toes,
with his miraculous fingers
is not a temple
but an outhouse,
I say aloud.
Let man never again raise his teacup.
Let man never again write a book.
Let man never again put on his shoe.
Let man never again raise his eyes,
on a soft July night.
Never. Never. Never. Never. Never.
I say those things aloud.
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Comments
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I liked this
I can feel the anger pulsing through here. A poem of virtue. This seemed to be related to mankind, as a whole. "I say those things aloud" it makes you want to speak your mind, that's how powerful her poem is. -
Haunting
I read this poem for a project in English and I got such an amazing response from it. It's so strong and so powerful. It makes you think about what happened during those years and what you truly think of mankind after those events took place. It's so beautiful! -
Interesting
i've always been a fan of her work but i would have to say this is the first time i've read this one. i thought it was more meaningful then most poems that i have read about the holocaust. I truley adore the ending.. it holds alot of truth. -
Powerful
As I read this poem, I can feel her anger pulsing through the words. Lines 11-18 are so powerful and strong that as you read them, you can feel the anger growing and growing until the ultimate climax at lines 31 and 32. -
Man is a bird full of mud... The possibility to fly, but weighted down by what? Humanity itself?
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I love how she takes something like the holocaust and make it so personal to the individual. Though her forum is primarily and expression of life and expieriences as a woman..Perhaps the reference to "men" is a reference to mankind. Everyday we wage war on ourselves for teritory and power. We dehumanize each other and degrade the value of human life for a scale of miles of dirt.
Ok I'm just getting riled up here so I'm going to stop. -
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I think it's funny that you automatically assume that this is about man, being the gender. You see, I read this poem and automatically assumed that it was about mankind, seeing the subject. Now that I've read your comment, though, I do wonder which way Sexton meant it to be.
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comparing man to an outhouse = pure genius.
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