#An American Poem | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fairest · 6 months

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Eileen Myles, "An American Poem"

#Eileen Myles #An American Poem #Poetry #western civ

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theoptia · 1 year

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Marie Howe, from Magdalene: Poems; "The Teacher"

Text ID: So, I thought I had to become more than / I was, more than I'd been. / but that wasn't it. It seemed rather that / something had to go. Something had to / be let go of.

#marie howe #magdalene: poems #poetry #american literature #lit #miscellanea #f

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c0unterclockwise · 9 months

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I wish I could eat dirt the way you do. Clamp it between my wisdom teeth, spit out the worms and turn the mulch into stone and gem and something. I wish I could make

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becckks · 1 year

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Whatever happened to 2014 Tumblr... miss her

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thoughtkick · 30 days

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Listen to the wind it talks. Listen to the silence it speaks. Listen to your heart it knows.

Native American Proverb

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daweyt · 4 months

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Louise Glück, from “Poems: 1962-2012; Persephone The Wanderer", published c. 2012.

#Louise Glück #Poems: 1962-2012 #American Literature #Quotes #Poetry #W #Lit #Dark Academia #Litblr

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candont · 2 years

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I was born in Boston in

1949. I never wanted

this fact to be known, in

fact I’ve spent the better

half of my adult life

trying to sweep my early

years under the carpet

and have a life that

was clearly just mine

and independent of

the historic fate of

my family. Can you

imagine what it was

like to be one of them,

to be built like them,

to talk like them

to have the benefits

of being born into such

a wealthy and powerful

American family. I went

to the best schools,

had all kinds of tutors

and trainers, traveled

widely, met the famous,

the controversial, and

the not-so-admirable

and I knew from

a very early age that

if there were ever any

possibility of escaping

the collective fate of this famous

Boston family I would

take that route and

I have. I hopped

on an Amtrak to New

York in the early

‘70s and I guess

you could say

my hidden years

began. I thought

Well I’ll be a poet.

What could be more

foolish and obscure.

I became a lesbian.

Every woman in my

family looks like

a dyke but it’s really

stepping off the flag

when you become one.

While holding this ignominious

pose I have seen and

I have learned and

I am beginning to think

there is no escaping

history. A woman I

am currently having

an affair with said

you know you look

like a Kennedy. I felt

the blood rising in my

cheeks. People have

always laughed at

my Boston accent

confusing “large” for

“lodge,” “party”

for “potty.” But

when this unsuspecting

woman invoked for

the first time my

family name

I knew the jig

was up. Yes, I am,

I am a Kennedy.

My attempts to remain

obscure have not served

me well. Starting as

a humble poet I

quickly climbed to the

top of my profession

assuming a position of

leadership and honor.

It is right that a

woman should call

me out now. Yes,

I am a Kennedy.

And I await

your orders.

You are the New Americans.

The homeless are wandering

the streets of our nation’s

greatest city. Homeless

men with AIDS are among

them. Is that right?

That there are no homes

for the homeless, that

there is no free medical

help for these men. And women.

That they get the message

—as they are dying—

that this is not their home?

And how are your

teeth today? Can

you afford to fix them?

How high is your rent?

If art is the highest

and most honest form

of communication of

our times and the young

artist is no longer able

to move here to speak

to her time…Yes, I could,

but that was 15 years ago

and remember—as I must

I am a Kennedy.

Shouldn’t we all be Kennedys?

This nation’s greatest city

is home of the business-

man and home of the

rich artist. People with

beautiful teeth who are not

on the streets. What shall

we do about this dilemma?

Listen, I have been educated.

I have learned about Western

Civilization. Do you know

what the message of Western

Civilization is? I am alone.

Am I alone tonight?

I don’t think so. Am I

the only one with bleeding gums

tonight. Am I the only

homosexual in this room

tonight. Am I the only

one whose friends have

died, are dying now.

And my art can’t

be supported until it is

gigantic, bigger than

everyone else’s, confirming

the audience’s feeling that they are

alone. That they alone

are good, deserved

to buy the tickets

to see this Art.

Are working,

are healthy, should

survive, and are

normal. Are you

normal tonight? Everyone

here, are we all normal.

It is not normal for

me to be a Kennedy.

But I am no longer

ashamed, no longer

alone. I am not

alone tonight because

we are all Kennedys.

And I am your President.

#eileen myles #i totally hear eileen's voice speaking this #an american poem

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majestativa · 4 months

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

— Sylvia Plath, The Collected Poems, (1981)

#American #Sylvia Plath #The Collected Poems #(1981)

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quotefeeling · 5 months

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Listen to the wind it talks. Listen to the silence it speaks. Listen to your heart it knows.

Native American Proverb

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edwardian-girl-next-door · 9 months

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"Some long-forgot, enchanted, strange, Sweet garden of a thousand years ago,"

~ Edna St. Vincent Millay, from "Interim"

via southerncrossreview.org

#edna st. vincent millay #quotes #literature quotes #literary quotes #lit quotes #quotations #literary quotations #fragments #20th century poetry #20th century literature #american literature #american lit #poetry #poem #american poetry #american author #poetry fragments

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uovoc · 2 months

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my sister and I both agree that one of the best parts about china was how there's food everywhere. And not just, like, bags of chips, but real hot, cooked, tasty food. You hike to the top of a mountain and there's a guy with a cart selling chicken skewers and freshly steamed corn on the cob. When you hike to the top of a mountain in america, what do you get? Nothing. An uninterrupted view of nature. Where did we go wrong as a country

#patter #actually I do know why it's different. it's different traditions of nature appreciation #American wilderness appreciation which is defined by lack of visible human activity #versus going somewhere to see one specific landscape feature that people have been writing poems about for thousands of years #so long as certain features are preserved it doesn't really matter if there's a McDonald's behind you

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katy71561 · 8 days

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theoptia · 1 year

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Marie Howe, from Magdalene: Poems; "The Teacher"

Text ID: Can we love without greed? Without wanting to be first?

#marie howe #magdalene: poems #magdalene #poetry #american literature #lit #miscellanea

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c0unterclockwise · 8 months

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One of my favourite memories is fishing for catfish on the pier with my father. I don't think I caught more than a tree root, and when the mosquitos got too violent we went inside and watched the news.

#c0unterclockwise #appalachain gothic #southern gothic #blogging #writing #writeblr #short poem #short story #girlblogging #rural gothic #american gothic #midwest gothic #small town america #midwestern gothic #western gothic #nostalgia #nostalgiacore #childhood

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becckks · 2 years

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#soft grunge #2014 grunge #american apparel #2014core #2014 nostalgia #aesthetic #music #sad poem #writing #frases sad #dark grunge #grunge aesthetic #grunge girl #2014 indie #2014 revival #2014 aesthetic #grunge tumblr #tumblrcore #old tumblr

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thefugitivesaint · 25 days

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Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950), 'Spring', ''Second April & Other Poems'', 1921 Source

#Edna St. Vincent Millay #american artists #poets on tumblr #poets #spring #second april #public domain poems

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