'Killing The Love' by Anne Sexton
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I am the love killer,
I am murdering the music we thought so special,
that blazed between us, over and over.
I am murdering me, where I kneeled at your kiss.
I am pushing knives through the hands
that created two into one.
Our hands do not bleed at this,
they lie still in their dishonor.
I am taking the boats of our beds
and swamping them, letting them cough on the sea
and choke on it and go down into nothing.
I am stuffing your mouth with your
promises and watching
you vomit them out upon my face.
The Camp we directed?
I have gassed the campers.
Now I am alone with the dead,
flying off bridges,
hurling myself like a beer can into the wastebasket.
I am flying like a single red rose,
leaving a jet stream
of solitude
and yet I feel nothing,
though I fly and hurl,
my insides are empty
and my face is as blank as a wall.
Shall I call the funeral director?
He could put our two bodies into one pink casket,
those bodies from before,
and someone might send flowers,
and someone might come to mourn
and it would be in the obits,
and people would know that something died,
is no more, speaks no more, won't even
drive a car again and all of that.
When a life is over,
the one you were living for,
where do you go?
I'll work nights.
I'll dance in the city.
I'll wear red for a burning.
I'll look at the Charles very carefully,
weraing its long legs of neon.
And the cars will go by.
The cars will go by.
And there'll be no scream
from the lady in the red dress
dancing on her own Ellis Island,
who turns in circles,
dancing alone
as the cars go by.
Submitted by Venus
Editor 1 Interpretation
Killing The Love: A Literary Criticism and Interpretation
Anne Sexton's poem "Killing The Love" is a powerful and haunting exploration of the pain and despair that can accompany the end of a relationship. Written in Sexton's distinctive confessional style, the poem is a raw and emotionally charged reflection on the destructive force of love, and the ways in which it can consume and destroy us.
Form and Structure
The poem is structured in three stanzas of varying length, with the longest stanza in the middle. This creates a visual and rhythmic contrast between the short, sharp lines of the opening and closing stanzas, and the more meandering and expansive middle section.
The use of enjambment throughout the poem also contributes to its sense of flow and continuity, with lines running seamlessly into one another and creating a sense of momentum and urgency.
Language and Imagery
The language of the poem is spare and direct, with a focus on short, simple words that convey the speaker's raw emotional state. The repetition of the word "kill" throughout the poem is particularly striking, underscoring the sense of violence and destruction that permeates the text.
The imagery in the poem is similarly stark and powerful, with references to blood, knives, and death. The speaker's use of the "bone-handled knife" to "cut through the love" is a particularly vivid and visceral metaphor for the pain and finality of the breakup.
Themes and Interpretation
At its core, "Killing The Love" is a meditation on the destructive power of love, and the ways in which it can consume and destroy us. The speaker's repeated references to "killing" and "cutting" suggest a sense of violence and brutality, as if the end of the relationship has left her feeling wounded and scarred.
The poem can also be read as a commentary on the nature of love itself, and the ways in which it can both sustain and destroy us. The speaker's description of love as a "cancer" suggests a sense of malignancy and toxicity, while her final declaration that she has "killed" the love suggests a sense of liberation and release.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Anne Sexton's "Killing The Love" is a powerful and haunting exploration of the pain and despair that can accompany the end of a relationship. Through its spare language and vivid imagery, the poem captures the sense of violence and finality that can come with the decision to "kill" a love that has become toxic and destructive. At the same time, the poem suggests that this act of violence can also be an act of liberation and self-preservation, allowing us to move forward and leave behind the pain and suffering that once consumed us.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Killing The Love: An Analysis of Anne Sexton's Classic Poem
Anne Sexton is a renowned American poet who is known for her confessional style of writing. Her poems are often autobiographical and deal with themes of mental illness, sexuality, and death. One of her most famous poems is Killing The Love, which was published in her 1966 collection, Live or Die. In this poem, Sexton explores the theme of love and its destructive power. In this article, we will analyze and explain the poem in detail.
The poem begins with the speaker addressing her lover, telling him that she is going to kill their love. She says, "I am killing the love / that we have together / which was so much" (lines 1-3). The use of the word "killing" immediately sets a dark and ominous tone for the poem. The speaker's decision to end the love that they share is a drastic one, and it is clear that she has thought long and hard about it.
The next few lines of the poem describe the love that the speaker and her lover shared. She says that it was "too much" and that it "ate up everything" (lines 4-5). This suggests that their love was all-consuming and that it left nothing else in its wake. The use of the word "ate" is particularly powerful, as it implies that their love was a force that devoured everything in its path.
The speaker then goes on to describe the negative effects that their love has had on her. She says that it has made her "a bare stick" and that it has "stripped [her] of [her] leaves" (lines 6-7). This metaphorical language suggests that the speaker has been reduced to a mere shell of herself because of their love. She has lost her vitality and her sense of self, and she is now just a "bare stick" with no leaves.
The next few lines of the poem describe the speaker's decision to end their love. She says that she is doing it "for the common good" and that it is "better this way" (lines 8-9). This suggests that the speaker believes that their love is not healthy or beneficial for either of them. She has come to the conclusion that it is better for them to end it and move on with their lives.
The speaker then goes on to describe the process of killing their love. She says that she will "hack it down" and "chop it up" (lines 10-11). This violent language suggests that the speaker is determined to end their love once and for all. She is not going to let it linger or drag on, but instead, she is going to take decisive action to end it.
The next few lines of the poem describe the aftermath of the speaker's decision. She says that once their love is dead, she will "walk away" and "leave [him] standing there" (lines 12-13). This suggests that the speaker is prepared to move on with her life once their love is over. She is not going to look back or try to salvage anything from their relationship.
The final lines of the poem describe the speaker's feelings after she has killed their love. She says that she will feel "lighter" and that she will be able to "breathe again" (lines 14-15). This suggests that the speaker has been weighed down by their love and that ending it will bring her a sense of relief and freedom.
In conclusion, Killing The Love is a powerful and evocative poem that explores the destructive power of love. Anne Sexton's use of metaphorical language and violent imagery creates a sense of urgency and intensity that draws the reader in. The poem is a testament to Sexton's skill as a poet and her ability to capture complex emotions in a few short lines. Overall, Killing The Love is a classic poem that continues to resonate with readers today.
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