No Categories!

Analysis of the poem by Stevie Smith Presented by Alyssa Bouranova

I cry I cry To God who created me Not to you Angels who frustrated me Let me fly, let me die, Let me come to Him. Not to you Angels on the wing, With your severe faces, And your scholarly grimaces, And your do this and that, And your exasperating pit-pat Of appropriate admonishment. This is not what the Creator meant. In the day of his gusty creation He made this and that And laughed to see them grow fat.

Plod on, you Angels say, do better aspire higher And one day you may be like us, or those next below us, Or nearer the lowest, Or lowest, Doing their best. Oh no no, you Angels, I say, No hierarchies I pray. Oh God, laugh not too much aside, Say not, it is a small matter. See what your Angels do; scatter Their pride; laugh them away. Oh no categories I pray.

Stevie Smith

Stevie Smith on her poetry and what compels her to write.

What

do

youThink?

- / - / I cry I cry - / - - /- To God who created me / - - / - Not to you Angels who / - - / frustrated me - - / - - / Let me fly, let me die, - - / - Let me come to Him.

Not to you Angels on the wing, With your severe faces, And your scholarly grimaces, And your do this and that, And your exasperating pit-pat Of appropriate admonishment.

/ - - /- / - / -- -/ /-- /-- /--- /- -/ -- -/-/- /- -/-/ -/-/

This is not what the Creator meant. In the day of his gusty creation He made this and that And laughed to see them grow fat.

Plod on, you Angels say, do better aspire higher And one day you may be like us, Or those next below us, Or nearer the lowest, Or lowest, Doing their best.

Oh no no, you Angels, I say, No hierarchies I pray.Oh God, laugh not too much aside, Say not, it is a small matter. See what your Angels do; scatter Their pride; laugh them away. Oh no categories I pray.