So she died. So what. Sigh. That's just it, isn't it? Who outside of anyone in a literature class knows or cares? To be truthful, I heard about it on NPR, who described her as an "antiwar, feninist, lesbian" poet and as a major cultural icon. The description of her made me grit my teeth. Well it was a good thing she was all this or she wouldn't've been significant!!! Or at least not to the luminaries at NPR....but that's another post for another time...
Yeeeeesh. ..she was a poet, first and foremost who used few words to convey truth and beauty and honesty. Can we not talk about her in this way, must we label and categorize her and keep her in a box???? Of course to not acknowledge these labels would be in error, but to sum up her life in just these terms seems to belittle her considerable talents.
And the whole thing about her being a major cultural icon....sigh. There is no poet today who will ever be a cultural icon. End of story. Sad but true.
Oh well...I did say this post would involve "depressions."
I urge people to seek out her poetry and decide for yourself, her worth as a poet.
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