Sad Girls Club
Here’s the deal: we all feel things. Emotions come in a variety of colors and connotations, often which we cannot control. I’m not a scientist, but I can assure you that we’ve spent centuries trying to understand human emotions and it’s still sort of mystery to most of us. Emotions are fascinating though! They truly connect us to one another and they’re so interesting, Pixar decided to devote a whole movie to them. What a time to be alive!
One of the most prevalent emotions is sadness. Despair, sorrow, depression, etc.. Cut it anyway you want, we all feel blue sometimes. Misery loves company when it comes to poetry. A vast majority of poems deal with darker and gloomier subject matters. However, women who write downer verse are often given a bad rap, typically thought of as “whiney” or “mopey” compared to male writers of the same dreary genre. Even Mark Twain gives Emily Dickinson shit in Huck Finn for being depressed. What gives, Sam?
I’m not saying it’s sexist that women are ostracized for being in touch with their emotions but- well, wait a minute. I am. It’s completely sexist that women are criticized for feeling human emotions and putting it into their art. It irks me so much so, that I compiled five of my favorite melancholy poems written by women. Welcome to the Sad Girls Club.
A Woman Wants What a Woman Wants by Gabby Bess
Illuminati Girl Gang zine founder, Gabby Bess, is dedicated to challenging the preconceived notions of female expression in art, particularly in poetry. Typically described as Alt Lit, Bess starts off by writing, “the alarm goes off and I wake up.” Obviously, it can only go worse from here. The majority of Bess’ work delves into her life as a woman and feminism, this poem is not an exception. Tackling all too real feelings of self-reflection, Bess manages to engage the reader in a way that they also feel tired, sad, and complacent in life. “‘Look at this existence./ This pathetic, fallible, wonderful body,’/ you can say rhetorically, sarcastically, or earnestly/ and still achieve death.” It’s a wonder that Bess can get out of bed at all.
McDonald's is Impossible by Chelsea Martin
I 100% understand that, at first glance, the title and first few lines makes this poem seem like the silliest and poorly chosen work for this anthology. Stick with it. Chelsea Martin has a very unique way of cutting through typical flowery imagery that is often found in poetry and gets right to the point. The realism and relatability of her writing make it almost impossible to not resonate with her. In this particular poem, Martin is able to accurately depict the everyday challenges of depression, like trying to have a meaningful conversation, trying to stop masturbating, and yes, trying to order from McDonalds. Living with depression is a chore. It’s tiring, difficult, and often leaves you feeling like you’re in a pit of despair. That’s why eating at McDonalds is impossible.
Mirror by Sylvia Plath
What’s an anthology about depression without Sylvia Plath? Though slightly obligatory to the subject matter, Plath’s “Mirror” is the ultimate sad girl reflection (get it?). President of the Sad Girls Club herself, in this poem, she writes through the perspective of a mirror, how it spends its day. The mirror views itself as nothing, a neutral party that passes no judgement. It’s not cruel, only “truthful.” The mirror then imagines itself as a lake, giving it and the reader a different view point. The contrast is stark, vivid as Plath presents the reader with an image of the reflection of the owner throughout time. Obviously, there are many sad Sylvia Plath poems, but I chose this one because it shows the way women have always been taught to make appearances their first concern. That’s why the owner of the mirror can’t stop looking in the mirror, even though she’s drowning the young girl she used to be.
Translations by Adrienne Rich
Influential queer feminist poet, Adrienne Rich, is often credited for bringing the oppression of women and lesbians to the forefront of poetic discourse. Of course, this poem accurately portrays just that. In Translations, Rich is shown a collection of poems that have been translated into English by a friend, presumably male. The poems all tell a similar story and share familiar words of sadness. Rich begins to think about women, in her life and others, that share experience throughout life. However, these experiences aren’t necessarily positive. They’re almost cookie cutter, restricting in ways women are able to express their pain or experience life any differently. “Ignorant of the fact this way of grief/ is shared, unnecessary/ and political.” Translations is a sad poem, about sad poetry written by women, and why these women are writing said sad poems. It’s rather meta.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou
A caged bird, singing for freedom, unable to achieve its dreams, what’s sadder than that? Of course, Maya Angelou is trying to convey something much deeper than a household bird through her analogy. Angelou is simply one of the greatest poets of all time, but because of the way her race and gender intersect, she gives an interesting perspective on freedom and equality. As a Black woman civil rights activist, she not only experienced oppression first hand, she fought against it. Unlike many of Angelou’s poems, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings offers little to no hope. A self-described feminist, Angelou’s poem about a bird whose wings are clipped and feet are tired of fighting his cage. “The caged bird sings/ with a fearful trill/ of things unknown/ but longed for still/ and his tune is heard/ on the distant hill/ for the caged bird/ sings of freedom.” This bird, that represents so many people who were fighting for freedom, will never achieve its dream, as many Black people in the civil rights movement were unable to see as well. The bird also represents Angelou and her fear of dying before achieving freedom from oppression and inequality. Nothing is sadder than a reality that you cannot escape.
