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.)
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