Poems with Personality, Gentle Humor and a Passionate Voice
Anne Bradstreet covered some ground in her career. She wrote philosophical and historical poems like those in her book The Tenth Muse, which this poem comes from. She also wrote poems about love and life and loss, poems to her husband, a poem about her house burning down, poems about the birth and death of children. Whatever the subject, though, we hear her voice. Bradstreet's speakers look deeply and fearlessly inside. They talk about their fears, their insecurities (this poem is a great example of that), their joys, and their sorrows. Through all of it, there's the gentlest touch of humor, almost as if she had one eyebrow raised just a little bit the entire time.
Looking for more Bradstreet? Check out "The Author to Her Book" and "To My Dear and Loving Husband."