I Could Never Be So Brave

...in memory of Sylvia Plath

I Could Never Be So Brave

                             

 

 

I could never

be so brave

to take my life

within my hands,

to feel it slip away

like it were sand

between my fingers.

 

to die a death

of asphyxiation,

a methodical means

of annihilation…

 

No, I could never

be so brave!

 

Reviews

[emmajoy]

Empathy is a virtue so lacking in society. You've shown understanding in such a fine way, said as much in quite beautiful language. And yes although denying life to anyone under any circumstances is wrong, Sylvia was a woman isolated from her own reality, bereft of what should have been Given by another otherwise self-consumed human being. Dear Lord.. we should lift our gaze from the dirt beneath our own feet to look at the mess in other's lives. (Kelly)

[Kelly Scheppers]

...so, so true, Em! Can you imagine what her writing would be like today, had she survived? Thank you, Em!

[emmajoy]

You know, i partly agree.. but then, sometimes we say and write what we do.. especially someone like her, in a way that time has placed thought in the or an exact place. Had she been a happy, clappy woman , she might have written limericks instead. Perhaps?(You)

[Kelly Scheppers]

That's what made me think of what she would be writing now, as opposed to what she wrote like before her death. I'm sure had it not been for her fighting depression, her muse may have taken on a different voice. We shall never know.

[emmajoy]

So true, so very true. Is extraordinary .. both tragedy of some kind or blissful happiness seem to produce the greatest poetry ... or prose. (You)

[Kelly Scheppers]

I wholeheartedly agree, Em! ; )

[Dara]

Unless we walk a mile in another person's shoes we can never fully understand or know their pain. To feel no hope and that the only option is to take one's own life must be a living hell. Your poem expresses this and your empathy for the victim ( they are a victim of the disease of depression) is so very enlightening Kelly. Very bittersweet and wonderfully written.

[Kelly Scheppers]

You nailed it on the head, Dara. Depression IS a disease. I believe she could have been saved if she were alive today. That's the real heartache of this tragedy. Many thanks, my friend, for a lovely review!

[Alfred Kukitz]

her pain mountainous, no hope in her lungs, that long sleep into never never land seemed the only choice.

regards,
al

[Kelly Scheppers]

What a hell it must be, to feel no hope! Thank you, Al!

[Paul Bell]

I wonder how many followers she would have today.
Advances in mental health may have helped her.
No legend though.

[Kelly Scheppers]

Thank you, Paul!

[Einstein Noodle]

who can not loe Sylvia ...or at the very least, appreciate her radical place in poetry and its history ..i have very strong life love ..tho i will not fight it when times up ;) so have strong feelings about suicide and the desperation and hopelessness required by it ... i believe that suicide is a result of no other option seen as available to those who do it .. i, respectfully, can not agree that it is courage in any way ;( courage is to find the way through, around, over or under life's challenges ... not to retreat nor give up on them ...her own history is fraught with pains of depression and previous attempts .. tragic that the medical field was still so primitive as shock therapy ...perhaps today she may have had a chance ...wonderful tribute to her Kelly ... and an important issue brought up ... many many many suicides today are of the young
E.

[Kelly Scheppers]

I too believe that perhaps today, she may have stood a chance surviving her depression and suicidal attempts. Did you know her son also suffered from it as well, and took his own life at the age of 47? Thank you for your thoughts on this one, Gene. Much appreciated my friend!

[Einstein Noodle]

no..i did not know that ... but there is a genetic predisposition to mental illnesses that are chemically produced ... it is a terrible struggle ..daily for those who battle it ..:( and the stigma they face each day is so unfair ..and so destructive ... and has gotten way worse with the online bully thing ..breaks my heart Legs ...love your poem ma'am

[Relic]

I've read that people who take their own lives have a kind of tunnel vision. It's the only thing on their minds. I've also seen the video of people jumping off the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco (set to music) and how they stare at the water before they jump. Those who lived said they regretted it the moment their feet left the railing. You have to be really far gone to do it and there are many reasons behind it.

Sylvia's Daddy was always my favorite.

[Kelly Scheppers]

What a chilling account. I could never entertain such a thought in my right mind. How tragic. Thanks so much, Tim! Wasn't his name Otto?

[Relic]

It may have been.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

quite taken by this...did my Masters thesis on Sylvia and Anne...some might say it's a coward's way, but i agree..there is a certain amount of courage involved...
i still don't think she imagined she would die, but that someone would find her and save her as had happened before, and that she would "comeback in broad daylight" to the cheers....we lost one of the greatest at such a young age...i wonder what her poetry would have been like as she aged.

[Kelly Scheppers]

Gwyneth Paltrow portrayed her in a british biographical back in 2003, simply called "Sylvia". It's spellbinding to say the least, truly a must see for her fans! Thank you so much, Jacob.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i didn't care for the portrayal of Ted...but she was amazing...i bought the DVD, terrific how she captured sylvia's psyche...

[Kelly Scheppers]

The ending, when she makes all the preparations of taking care that the children are safe from the fumes and fed in the coming morning, really got to me. And then when they brought her out of the house on the stretcher in slow motion. I just knew I had to buy the CD. I didn't know about Ted at the time, I learned all about him basically from the movie. I only knew that Paltrow really nailed her performance. It still gives me chills watching it.

[Ted Kniffen]

This is good, Kelly. The only change I would suggest would be..."like it were sand"...to...as if it was sand.
Small thing.

Ted

[Kelly Scheppers]

Thank you, Ted. You know, it really does sound better!

[Kelly Scheppers]

Lol, I have a habit of tweaking things, so stay tuned!

[sette]

wow very meaningful and I can fully understand the pain

[Kelly Scheppers]

Thank you for your kindness!

[Chris]

we never know whose shoes we can walk in - until our own moment of choice arrives ...and usually we aren't thinking of how someone else responded to their moment of "Life's Attention" - we're too lost in our own.

[Kelly Scheppers]

Your words are always welcomed here, Chris...many thanks!