What is Confessional Poetry? (and why do we write it?)

What is Confessional Poetry? It is when you set yourself up for the big fall, when you get daring enough to tell all. Sylvia Plath, Anne Saxton, the perverted Allen Ginsberg; Robert Lowell, whom I have several books by, was a little calmer in his verse than those poets I just mentioned. Often the “I” is used or “You” in Confessional poetry. I find most of this poetry is unflattering, and that is why I do not do a lot of it; it wasn’t meant to be. It is usually personal and autobiographical. The poet usually is speaking to you directly, the reader. When I read Plath, her confessional style seems more fantasy than fiction, but be that as it may, it is her soul talking; one must forget the themes and subject matter in confessional poetry, it explores certain details, processes past emotions, events, the author is actually exploring and processing his life in front of you. When I do this style of poetry, I try to take my first thoughts, and chain them together; somehow I already I know where I am going. One must eliminate meekness, modesty, or discretion. The poet comes out on top; because of self-revelation while in the process of creating this style of poem—especially if it is free verse.

The question has arisen, “Why do they write it?” and a fair question that should be answered perhaps more from a psychologist, than a poet, for at times one needs to be brutally honest. I was a licensed counselor for many years, and working with folks in, clients in the hospital, one thing I often had them do, to fight their demons, and so forth: write on paper about it. Any length, and then reread it, over and over if necessary. It seems to clear the brain, and makes the guilt duller. Some of my patients wrote 20-pages. After a while, the issue is not as important as it used to be, thus, the process of exposure, and acceptance has taken root. This is my view of course, and I think it can be placed into this area of Confessional Poetry, not for everyone. It gives perspective, if anything, and can be interesting to the reader. For Anne Saxton, this style of poetry reduced her madness. For me I believe it is simply a form of processing old events, and enjoying the trying times I had in yeas past, and how I see them now.