Anesthesiologist

To Sylvia Plath.

I’ll take you to death’s iron door

Let you mingle with the light and black

Let your fingers dance in slivers of silver and fire

Light you might find, fingers

Long and lean now pale

As the snows of the Tyrol too.

If that is what beings you

Nine times hell

If death brings you to the ninth life

Then I may not bring you back

To this world poor Daddy left.

Practice your art.

Just your pretty

Red head and pretty

Red heart, both pieces

To be chuffed away.

I’ll save you from black ash, black ash

But oh no, you can’t save yourself.

‘cause the switch has been flipped, my dear

And all that is left is my opus.

 

Reviews

[Matthew Marquis]

I've read a lot about Sylvia but cannot recall brain surgery. Are you confusing it, perhaps with Shock Therapy?

I think that your last few lines are quite profound in that no matter what woulda/shoulda/coulda been done for her was irrelevant. As I've said many times - some of us are doomed from the start.

[Raef C. Boylan]

Hmmm. Peoples' ignorance re: Plath/electro-convulsive therapy is quite bad [previous reviews].
I'd say the person with the hypodermic is scarier than the doctor who signed the papers in a way, because they're the last link in the chain before you go *out*. I imagine they would seem as sinister as your narrative makes this one seem, to the patient in the chair.
Being technical, she seemed to prefer the ECT with anasthetic over the one without; I find the being unconscious while this is going on a scarier concept than being aware of it [the pain, I guess, might be a different matter]. However, this piece seems to be about you engaging your imgaination with your love of her work.

Definitely Plath-esque in style, such as techniques like the echoing - "I'll save you from black ash, black ash" and how direct the narrative is.

Good work.

p.s.
"If that is what beings you" [don't understand this line - "beings" seems out of place?]

[Jessica{is inspired by ..]

First off, I, too, love Slyvia Plath! I have a book of her collected poems. She was brilliant!

On to the piece. I loved it! It was dark, but then again look who it's written about.

"Nine times hell
If death brings you to the ninth life
Then I may not bring you back"

Great lines! I truly loved this piece!

Jessica

[Tomás Ó C..]

Good tribute to sylvia!

[Rob Welch , Master Of P..]

Nice. It flowed very well and the imagery and metaphors were just killer. Keep up the excellent work!

[Crazy Cat Man]

a wonderful piece

[T. Jones]

"If that is what beings you
Nine times hell
If death brings you to the ninth life
Then I may not bring you back
To this world poor Daddy left.
Practice your art."

Ah...I love those lines, especially the reference to "Lady Lazarus".

[Casey Mckenzie]

I fell in love with the last two lines.

[Abby G.]

Did she really have brain surgery? That's weird. She must be your favorite poet, I'm guessing.
Very good use of imagery and interesting perspective: the anesthesiologist.

[Being.john.sweet~The Ev..]

this is very interesting indeed, i like the ending i might do this to it though, leaving behind my opus...nicely written thank you~John