'Vagina' Sonnet
By Joan Larkin
Is ‘vagina’ suitable for use
in a sonnet? I don’t suppose so.
A famous poet told me, ‘Vagina’s ugly.’
Meaning, of course, the sound of it. In poems.
Meanwhile he inserts his penis frequently
into his verse, calling it seriously, ‘My
Penis’. It is short, I know, and dignified.
I mean of course the sound of it. In poems.
This whole thing is unfortunate, but petty,
like my hangup concerning English Dept memos
headed ‘Mr/Mrs/Miss’ — only a fishbone
in the throat of the revolution —
a waste of brains — to be concerned about
this minor issue of my cunt’s good name.
This poem originally appeared in Joan Larkin's book of poetry Housework in 1975.
|
|
The Postscript
I'm taking the rest of the year off but will be back with more poetry in January 2021. Happy Holidays!
|
|
|
|
