Nellie Clark (by Edgar Lee Masters)
Nellie Clark
by Edgar Lee Masters
from Spoon River Anthology [1915]
I was only eight years old;
And before I grew up and knew what it meant
I had no words for it, except
That I was frightened and told my
Mother; And that my Father got a pistol
And would have killed Charlie, who was a big boy,
Fifteen years old, except for his Mother.
Nevertheless the story clung to me.
But the man who married me, a widower of thirty-five,
Was a newcomer and never heard it
Till two years after we were married.
Then he considered himself cheated,
And the village agreed that I was not really a virgin.
Well, he deserted me, and I died
The following winter.
Click here to read more of Spoon River Anthology in the Online Library
Posted by Jesus Crisis at 12/21/2009 9:02 AM 
Categories: Masters (Edgar Lee),Poetry,1900s,American
Tags: Spoon River Anthology 1915 Edgar Lee Masters American Poetry American Literature
Categories: Masters (Edgar Lee),Poetry,1900s,American
Tags: Spoon River Anthology 1915 Edgar Lee Masters American Poetry American Literature
This is sad. Not shocking, for in my part of the world it is not only prevalent, but socially accepted as well.
Nevertheless, the poem is beautifully written!
Cheers
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Unfortunately, in some places and times in America as well, such horrors have been socially accepted -- thankfully not so much today as in the past.
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