Welcome to Poem of the Day – The Abortion by Anne Sexton
Anne Sexton is one of the most powerful voices in modern American poetry. Her work is known for being deeply personal. She often wrote about mental illness, motherhood, and the female experience. One of her most moving and controversial poems is The Abortion.
In this article, we will look closely at the poem and explain its meaning in simple terms.
The Abortion Explanation
About the Poem
The Abortion was first published in Anne Sexton’s 1962 collection All My Pretty Ones. This poem is written in free verse. It does not follow a fixed rhyme or meter. The style is conversational and emotional.
The poem tells the story of a woman who has traveled to have an abortion. She reflects on her feelings before, during, and after the event. The poem does not argue for or against abortion. Instead, it focuses on the personal pain and guilt the speaker feels.
Summary and Explanation
The poem begins with the speaker describing a journey. She is going away from home, toward a place where she will have the abortion. She calls herself a “man with a traveler’s face,” which shows that she feels disconnected from her womanhood. It is as if she is trying to escape who she is.
She says the place she is going to is “a little town by the sea,” which sounds peaceful but also distant and lonely. The speaker does not name the place, which adds to the feeling of emotional isolation.
Later, the speaker talks about the people who have passed through her life—parents, lovers, and strangers. She says, “I have left them all,” suggesting that the decision to have an abortion has made her feel cut off from the world.
One of the most emotional lines is:
“I who was never quite sure / about being a girl.”
Here, the speaker shows confusion and sadness about her identity. Being pregnant seems to have brought up deep feelings about herself, her body, and what it means to be female.
At the end of the poem, the speaker remembers the unborn child. She says, “I took the idea of you / and put it away.” These lines are haunting. They show that although the child was never born, it remains in her memory. She cannot forget it.
Themes
1. Guilt and Loss
The speaker does not describe the abortion itself in detail. Instead, she focuses on what it feels like afterward. She expresses guilt, confusion, and a sense of deep personal loss.
2. Female Identity
Sexton often wrote about being a woman in a world that demands certain roles. In this poem, the speaker questions what it means to be a girl, a mother, and a person who makes difficult choices.
3. Isolation
Throughout the poem, there is a strong feeling of loneliness. The speaker is traveling alone. She feels distant from the people in her life. This shows how personal and private the experience of abortion can be.
Conclusion
The Abortion by Anne Sexton is not just a poem about a medical procedure. It is a deep and emotional look at a woman’s inner world. Sexton does not preach or judge. She simply tells the truth as she sees it—raw, painful, and honest.
This poem reminds us that poetry can speak about hard things. It can help us understand experiences we may not have lived ourselves. Anne Sexton’s courage in writing such poems still touches readers today.
