An elephant, a ponderous house

Maybe you've read Sylvia Plath's poem "Metaphors"? This is how I felt during most of the month of April.
I'm a riddle in nine syllables.
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there's no getting off.
She may have come to an unhappy end (have I ever mentioned that I used to have a t-shirt that said "Sylvia, get your head out of the oven"?) but she knew pregnancy, by george!

3 comments

  1. Oh, wow. This is perfect. And I resonate with her form - sadly, "narrow house" has been my less than joyful line from time to time. I will tell you that I lose patience with much poetry. Especially the stuff that sort of correlates with "romantic" classical music. But I love goat-footed balloon men, and I loved this one. And I know how you feel, having danced that lop-sidedly myself four times.

    You are wonderful.

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  2. Oh no, that T-shirt! Hahahahaha.

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  3. WHY do you not still have that T-shirt? That is awesome!

    ReplyDelete

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