With Mercy for the Greedy

With Mercy for the Greedy
Anne Sexton
page 307

This poem starts off with a (well I can't remember the word...a sentence that goes before the poem) that sets up the poem and lets the reader know that this poem is going to have something to do with religiosity and probably the author's reluctance to attend service. It reads "for my friend, Ruth, who urges me to make an appointment for the Sacrament of Confession." In the first stanza there's some interesting repetition that makes it feel very rhythmical: "Concerning your letter in which you ask/me to call a priest and in which you ask/ me to..." The first two lines end the same way and the second and third lines begin the same way. I also found the author's pacing interesting especially in the third stanza in which she uses ellipses to really slow the reader down. A simile I think works really well is the poet's comparison of Jesus on the crucifix to a frozen chunk of beef. I like the message of the poem as well (at least what I think is the message). She seems to be saying that although she has tried to connect with religion in the past to absolve her sins, she recognizes that poetry serves this function for her.