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Today, on March 19th, 2010, the site contains 196 poets, 8,692 poems and 8,382 comments.
Margaret Atwood - A Sad Child

You're sad because you're sad.
It's psychic. It's the age. It's chemical.
Go see a shrink or take a pill,
or hug your sadness like an eyeless doll
you need to sleep.

Well, all children are sad
but some get over it.
Count your blessings. Better than that,
buy a hat. Buy a coat or pet.
Take up dancing to forget.

Forget what?
Your sadness, your shadow,
whatever it was that was done to you
the day of the lawn party
when you came inside flushed with the sun,
your mouth sulky with sugar,
in your new dress with the ribbon
and the ice-cream smear,
and said to yourself in the bathroom,
I am not the favorite child.

My darling, when it comes
right down to it
and the light fails and the fog rolls in
and you're trapped in your overturned body
under a blanket or burning car,

and the red flame is seeping out of you
and igniting the tarmac beside you head
or else the floor, or else the pillow,
none of us is;
or else we all are. 

Added: on November 9th, 2008 at 4:57 PM | Viewed: 5369 times | Comments (8)


A Sad Child - Comments and Information

Poet: Margaret Atwood
Poem: A Sad Child

Comment 8 of 8, added on March 3rd, 2009 at 6:00 AM.

Sveet Deek - A bit rude, don't you think?!?

A-Dog from Canada
Comment 7 of 8, added on February 8th, 2009 at 1:47 PM.

wow nice poem it was useful it tied into my whole theme of lost innocence at childhood and u cud c it was b.c of neglect and materialistic items

P.s sveet deek from bangladesh is themost ignorant piece of dried up shit...go be a dick in bangladesh buddy..ure the one reading sad child poetry at 3:55 in the evening....so whos sad and stupid now bitch!! ignorant motherfucker

andre from Canada
Comment 6 of 8, added on November 9th, 2008 at 4:57 PM.

I thought that this poem was great and i believe that it is about how death is equilizing. The world is ruled by sadness and favoritism, displayed by the child, however death pays no favors to anyone. It says that death is inevitable and that we all become equal in death. I loved it!

Ally from Canada

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