Edna St. Vincent Millay

Question: Does anyone truly “get” poetry or is it one of those things that we all wish we were deep enough to understand?

I hate to admit it, but half the time poetry goes in one ear and out the other. If by some chance/miracle I think I understand, end up being completely wrong. It’s not that I don’t like poetry, because I really do. I respect people who are so clever and passionate with words that they can put them in such ways to create something so beautiful.

What I love about Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poetry is not only is it witty and smart, but actually tangible for most people to read. And morely, though it was written about 80 years old, relates to universal messages. If I was a poet, I’d want to write like her. She speaks to everyone, not soley to the small minority of people who actually get and follow poetry, or the other group who just pretend for the sake of appearing “deep and interesting”.

Here are a few examples from one of her most famous books, “A Few Figs From Thistle”:

This first one you probably have heard before.

“First Fig”

My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends–
It gives a lovely light!

To me, it is such a celebration of youth. For years and years, my mom has told me, “Kristine, you better slow down. You don’t want to burn the candle at both ends”. But I always did and I think when your young, you just can’t help yourself. Life is still so new. How can young people NOT want to experience and do as much as possible. You have plenty of time to slow down when you get older. And that’s what Edna is saying. The light won’t last forever, but at that moment and at that time, it is so alive and amazing.

“Grown Up”

Was it for this I uttered prayers,
And sobbed and cursed and kicked the stairs,
That now, domestic as a plate,
I should retire at half-past eight?

Ha, this is another great one. I remember being 17 years old and so frustrated for being too young to do anything good. I wanted to be older so badly and now at 24, wish time to stand still and keep me at this place. The grass is always greener at the other side. When you’re young, you dream and wish to be older. Then you grow up and reach a certain age to find yourself in a blah blah basic routine and curse yourself for not enjoying the freedom and excitement of the unknown youth. Are we ever satisfied? Hmm no.

“The Philosopher”

And what are you that, wanting you,
I should be kept awake
As many nights as there are days
With weeping for your sake?

And what are you that, missing you,
As many days as crawl
I should be listening to the wind
And looking at the wall?

I know a man that’s a braver man
And twenty men as kind,
And what are you, that you should be
The one man in my mind?

Yet women’s ways are witless ways,
As any sage will tell, –
And what am I, that I should love
So wisely and so well?

So explanatory. Typical frustration over the guy you can’t manage to get over. Those questions of “WHY you? What is so great about you? I know better. Smarter. Better looking etc.”
But it’s you.
Why won’t you leave my mind?
That it’s so typical for us ladies to feel this way.
That you think your above the trap, but get caught in it too.
And I feel that way. Because the few who get me, it’s hard to me to get away.

Am I wrong? Any other interpretations? Maybe I’m looking at these in the wrong light…which I absolutely/probably could be.

“I am glad that I paid so little attention to good advice; had I abided by it, I might have been saved from some of my most valuable mistakes”.

I wonder what mistakes Edna was talking about? Her work? Her personal life? The politics she became involved in? Millay’s overall demeanour appeared to be un-apologetic, but who knows? It is a hard task to truly read someone by the limited amount they choose to give to the world.

I thought this was a great quote because how many mistakes turn into blessings in digsuise? We all have the orginal path or “plan a” to hopefully follow, but, for reasons unknown, life gets in the way, and next thing you know, your on mystery “plan b”. All you can do is hope that life will eventually guide you in the right direction.

Who knows where we would all be without our errors and also the dream that something more will come out of it. I guess possibly some will end up living montonous lives with no tricks or surprises….I hope to continue to live where the world is constantly surprising me and pushing me to my limits.

I have been on interviews over the past few years, and a popular question has been, “where do you think and hope you’ll be in 5 years? 10 year?”
My reply: ” Hahahaha, at this point, I could ONLY imagine”. Or…
“Hopefully I would have won the lottery and then would only be traveling and working if I was in the mood…or bored, but yeah that probably won’t happen!”
How do you answer that type of question without being a dreamer, when 5-10 years feels so far away? 10, even 5 years ago, I never would have imagined I’d be where I am. So it is exciting to wonder where any of us will be in the next decade.

Growing up, maybe Millay dreamed of being a celebrated poet and a Pulitzer Prize winner. I’m sure she never would have DREAMED that she’d end up being as successful as she was. Edna was probably like any of us with her doubts of her work and anxiety that no one would like it or understand. But the important thing is that she tried. And even after the amazing reviews and celebration on her behalf, she probably looked at her work and saw errors that no one else would notice. Probably the mistakes she made were not mistakes at all, but the actual path she was supposed to take.

My point here is that being a dreamer and making a mistake are two HUGE parts of life and should never be planned or denied. Where would you be without your dreams?

I have always been drawn to characters. You probably know whom I’m talking about. It’s the guy walking by you on the street wearing plaids and stripes singing extra loud along with his ipod. Or it’s the girl who can walk into the room and immediately and magically draw every eye, simply by being who she is. These are the people who celebrate the colorful calamity of their personalities, the ones that make you take a second glance, and leave a lasting impression on you for the rest of your life. One of those people for me is Edna St. Vincent Millay.

I discovered Millay in a creative writing class while studying her poetry and was shocked that I wasn’t familiar with her work sooner. For those who don’t know too much about her, here is a little introduction.

Edna St.Vincent Millay was a free spirited and celebrated poet of the early to mid 1900’s. In fact, she was the first woman to ever receive the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. She lived in bohemian Greenwich Village during the 1920’s and her work and life became a symbol of the modern liberated woman of the day. Much of Millay’s work was shocking and sometimes disturbing to the public, but helped to pave the way for future artists.

What drew me in was her carefree and non-apologetic attitude. She smoked and drank in public, openly discussed and fought for her beliefs, and was comfortable talking about her bisexual tendencies. I find it amazing that despite living in a time where society was much more modest and restricted, Edna had the inner strength to freely speak her mind and could always get her point across despite what the consequences may have been. This was probably why people immediately fell in love with her at first sight and why I choose to write with her today.