Sharon Olds, Revisited

The whole time I was rereading her poems, I would find myself muttering "god dammit" repeatedly, because I liked the poems so much. When a poet makes you react out loud, they’re definitely doing something right.

The poem (below) is one that makes me shiver everytime I read it. And each time I crack open this collection, I try to avoid reading it, because it’s so disturbing. But then I get to it and I read it anyway, and the ending just leaves me breathless and in awe.