Poetry Thursday - Edna St. Vincent Millay

So I'm up late tonight and for some reason find myself with a poem I learned as a teenager stuck in my head. I looked it up online and found it on a website for "Inspirational poems: Poems about Life, Love, Success, etc." I must be missing something.

Inland 
People that build their houses inland,
People that buy a plot of ground
Shaped like a house, and build a house there,
Far from the sea-board, far from the sound

Of water sucking the hollow ledges,
Tons of water striking the shore, -
What do they long for, as I long for
One salt smell of the sea once more?

People the waves have not awakened,
Spanking the boats at the harbour's head,
What do they long for, as I long for, -
Starting up in my inland bed,

Beating the narrow walls, and finding
Neither a window nor a door,
Screaming to God for death by drowning, -
One salt taste of the sea once more?

(Edna St. Vincent Millay)

"Inspired" to do a bit of research (although not too much, mind you, it is quite late) I learn that Millay spent much of her childhood in abject poverty, and is indebted to her mother for exposing her to classical literature. In high school, Millay insisted on being called by the boy's name "Vincent" - much to the dismay of her school-teachers. In her adult years, she became known for her feminism (reflected in many of her poems), open discussion of female sexuality (likewise), and pacifism (see for example her anti-war play Aria da Capo). As if that wasn't enough non-conformity for the 20's, Millay was also openly bisexual and, after finally marrying at age 43, continued to have many lovers (as did her husband). Ah, the things they don't teach you in high school. Although thanks to a new bill now they will (at least in California).

(Disclaimer - all of this info is from Wikipedia. Trust it at your own peril.)

The long awaited (at least by me) 1st post:

I've been trying to get into blogging for a while. I'm attracted by the prospect of open dialogue with others who share my interests, and, I won't deny it - I enjoy talking about myself.

One of the things slowing me down has been the issue of anonymity. There are certainly topics that I would be more comfortable discussing under a pseudonym, and in general, I may be more cautious stating my opinions knowing that people I actually interact with may be reading this. However, beyond the issue of the immediate ramifications of being held to account for my words lies the question of long-term effects. In this day and age, young professionals such as myself must be cognizant that anything posted online (especially in social networking) may be used by prospective future employers in making hiring decisions. Although I certainly don't plan on saying anything that could hurt my future career options, it doesn't hurt to be careful.

That having been said, there are also advantages to posting under my own name. Knowing that I can be called to account, I'm likely to be more vigilant in my fact-checking, which can only be a good thing. I imagine my writing will also benefit from this (perceived) closer scrutiny. I'd probably forget a pseudonym anyway.

So after all that hullabaloo - here's to hoping I have something worth saying!