Womansong

Johnson, Marilyn

Primary Category: Literature / Poetry

Genre: Poem

Annotated by:
Squier, Harriet
  • Date of entry: Oct-07-1997

Summary

The conflicting experiences of puberty for girls is the subject of this poem. A girl's bodily self awareness coincides with society's devaluation of a girl's sexuality. The conflicts between innocence, dirtiness, sexuality, and learning "to love yourself again" constitute the complexity of coming of age for young women.

Commentary

This poem beautifully and concisely describes what is most beautiful and most awful about puberty for young women.

Miscellaneous

First published: 1974 (Pearl, No. 3, Winter)

Primary Source

I Am Becoming the Woman I've Wanted

Publisher

Papier Mache

Place Published

Watsonville, Calif.

Edition

1994

Editor

Sandra Haldeman Martz