Epidermal Macabre - A poem by Theodore Roethke


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Theodore Roethke - Epidermal Macabre

Indelicate is he who loathes
The aspect of his fleshy clothes, --
The flying fabric stitched on bone,
The vesture of the skeleton,
The garment neither fur nor hair,
The cloak of evil and despair,
The veil long violated by
Caresses of the hand and eye.
Yet such is my unseemliness:
I hate my epidermal dress,
The savage blood's obscenity,
The rags of my anatomy,
And willingly would I dispense
With false accouterments of sense,
To sleep immodestly, a most
Incarnadine and carnal ghost.

Added: on April 22nd, 2006 at 1:44 PM | Viewed: 2820 times | Comments (2)

Epidermal Macabre - Comments and Information
Poet: Theodore Roethke Poem: Epidermal Macabre Poem of the Day on: Jul 12 2008 Comment 2 of 2, added on May 4th, 2006 at 8:44 AM. this is a very good poem that touches on the subject of self-loathing. Theodore Roethke was really in touch with these kinds of things because of his illness... ame Comment 1 of 2, added on April 22nd, 2006 at 1:44 PM. As a teacher, I want adolescents to see this poem. It speaks to the identity crisis, and especially to those who have eating/cutting disorders, as it seems to me. I only don't like the word "carnal" at the end--it carries a kind of "sinner" connotation--though I do like incarnadine (a word I've only seen in Macbeth--Roethke's probably the first one to use it since Shakespeare). F Jacobs from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Epidermal Macabre, has received 2 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Theodore Roethke with others on the Poetry Connection poetry forum!

Poem Info
Epidermal Macabre Last read: 2008-07-23 15:54:57 Poem of the Day on: Jul 12 2008 Viewed 2820 times. Added on April 22nd, 2006 at 1:44 PM.

Roethke Info
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