I am trying to find a poem I read once, the name of which I cannot remember.
It was written in English by a male (I think) post-war English poet. It is
about a girl combing her fair hair whilst a dark skinned intruder slowly
climbs the stairs of her house and eventually strangles the girl. The last
part of the poem asks the reader if they prefer that the intruder does
indeed strangle her or that the his hands circle her willing throat (i.e.
that he is her secret lover).
I read this poem in an American textbook in Rome circa 1995. I have googled
every damnable combination trying to find this online - but I have given up.
I am hoping one of you might know it. |
Request for Question Clarification by
justaskscott-ga
on
10 Dec 2003 05:29 PST
Do you recall any specific phrases or words from the poem?
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Clarification of Question by
limbic11-ga
on
10 Dec 2003 07:10 PST
I do recall something about her "willing" something. Perhaps there was
a reference to her breast or throat. I recall a mention of "stairs". I
know this is very vague, I suppose I am hoping that someone recognises
it from its description.
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Request for Question Clarification by
markj-ga
on
10 Dec 2003 08:58 PST
limbic11 --
Do you recall anything about the textbook -- its title, author or the
coursework it was designed for, for example?
markj-ga
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Clarification of Question by
limbic11-ga
on
11 Dec 2003 03:16 PST
It was green, with brown text on the front. It was used either for
teaching English as a foreign language or in one of the foreign
schools out there.
I seem to recall that this was from a fairly famous poet.
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Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
11 Dec 2003 04:47 PST
Why do you refer to this as an "ant-colonial" poem? And do you
remember roughly how long it was (one page? half page? many pages?).
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Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
11 Dec 2003 06:25 PST
I mean (of course) *anti*-colonial.
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Clarification of Question by
limbic11-ga
on
11 Dec 2003 06:36 PST
It was a fairly short poem, about one page in a standard paperback
sized book. I am not sure why I think it was anti-colonial, perhaps it
was set in the American South? The impression I got was that it was
anti-colonial or perhaps simply anti-racist.
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