Naked before the glass she said,
-I see my body as no man has,
Nor any shall unless I wed
And naked in a stranger-s house
Stand timid beside his bed.
There is no pity in the flesh.â?
-Or else I shall grow old,â? she said,
-Alone, and change my likeliness
For a vile, slack shape, a head
Shriveled with thinking wickedness
Against the day I must be dead
And eaten by my crabbed wish.â?
-One or the other way,â? she said,
-How shall I know the difference,
When wrinkles come, to spinster or bride?
Whether to marry or burn is bless-
ed best, O stranger to my bed,
There is no pity in the flesh.â?
Young Woman
Howard Nemerov
(1)
Poem topics: alone, change, house, head, bride, stand, shape, body, Valentine's Day, glass, difference, stranger, Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
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