Sylvia Plath

“—Today is the first of August. It is hot, steamy and wet. It is raining. I am tempted to write a poem. But I remember what it said on one rejection slip: After a heavy rainfall, poems titled RAIN pour in from across the nation.” Writes Sylvia Plath in Fragment 6 (page 9) of her journal. Her observation is a good indication on how well she will develop her poetic talent. Written in the summer prior to her first year in college, Plath was a teenager and a quite mature writer at such an early age. These lines should be read by everyone tempted to write inspired by emotions and only emotions.