Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

GROTESQUE by AMY LOWELL

Poet Analysis

First Line: WHY DO THE LILIES GOGGLE THEIR TONGUES AT ME
Last Line: WHILE YOU DANCE?
Subject(s): FLOWERS; LILIES;
Why do the lilies goggle their tongues at me
When I pluck them;
And writhe, and twist,
And strangle themselves against my fingers,
So that I can hardly weave the garland
For your hair?
Why do they shriek your name
And spit at me
When I could cluster them?
Must I kill them
To make them lie still,
And send you a wreath of lolling corpses
To turn putrid and soft
On your forehead
While you dance?




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