Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE SCARLET WOMAN, by FENTON JOHNSON Poet's Biography First Line: Once I was good like the virgin mary and the minister's wife Last Line: Gin is better than all the water in lethe. Subject(s): African Americans; Prostitution; Negroes; American Blacks; Harlots; Whores; Brothels | ||||||||
Once I was good like the Virgin Mary and the Minister's wife. My father worked for Mr. Pullman and white people's tips; but he died two days after his insurance expired. I had nothing, so I had to go work. All the stock I had was a white girl's education and a face that enchanted the men of both races. Starvation danced with me. So when Big Lizzie, who kept a house for white men, came to me with tales of fortune that I could reap from the sale of my virtue I bowed my head to Vice. Now I can drink more gin than any man for miles around. Gin is better than all the water in Lethe. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...LOVING YOU IN FLEMISH by LAURE-ANNE BOSSELAAR A MAN AND WOMAN ABSOLUTELY WHITE by ANDRE BRETON AFTER THREE PHOTOGRAPHS OF BRASSAI by NORMAN DUBIE THE VIOLENT SPACE by ETHERIDGE KNIGHT AN OLD WHOREHOUSE by MARY OLIVER CHICAGO CABARET by KENNETH REXROTH FOR A MASSEUSE AND PROSTITUTE by KENNETH REXROTH HARRISON STREET COURT by CARL SANDBURG |
|