The Letters of Sylvia Plath Volume 1 Read online

  The trip down yesterday was fun – I had none of that waiting around that I did last year because, although we arrived early, I met Ann, and joined her and her mother and 3 girls I didn’t know. We went on a drive to Falmouth where Mrs. Bowker treated us to a pile of creamy ice-cream. When we came back, the train had come in and I met Ruthy and Bets again. The boat-ride was fun, only foggy. Before we started, Betsy, Ruth and I had a last conversation with three sailors in another boat. They had spy glasses and a megaphone, so we progressed nicely. Last night (the boat left the dock at 5:30!) we had a late supper at 9:00 PM and then unpacked by flashlight. You can imagine how comfortable that was in the soggy, wet air! We got in late, and no one got to sleep till much later, what with talking and foghorns. Today, however, was simply gorgeous – cool, clear, sunny. Right after breakfast we peeled potatoes and then went down to pass our swimming tests. I thought I’d drown, but I didn’t. We’re going sailing this afternoon, and we can’t wait.

  I found that guests to camp come after noon & before 4:30 on Sundays, and get taxis to and from camp. Usually you find someone who is going to camp too, and split the round trip cost, which is $2 (yow!). The way they grab money around here is scandalous – $1 for transportation from Oak Bluffs to camp $1.20 for boat trip $.50 for “bike expenses.” By the way, Warren’s bike got a flat tire while waiting here on a hot day, so I’ll have to pay for that. After I get through I’ll be bankrupt, but don’t send any more money – I’ll manage.

  The food isn’t too much, but I fill up on bread and margerine. If you feel like it – send me an old pack of cards just for fun. We three are going to try to go biking any way, as soon as I get Warren’s tire fixed. Our councilors are very nice and understanding.

  The morning swim in the cool green water was invigorating, and washed away all my tiredness, leaving only a mild sensation of laziness. As always, the first night is hardest – when you’re so tired – now we’re in the routine, and we love it. I haven’t much rest hour time left now, because I’ve just gotten comfortably settled and arranged. Do send me Wayne’s address – Ruthy says he asks for me alot, so I might as well drop him a line. If you can, forward mail and find out Marianne’s (the French girl’s)* address from the Norton’s quickly, because I must write her very soon.

  I’ll never get homesick – I love it here – It’s so nice to be in with Bets & Ruth – I don’t miss Anne too much.

  That’s all for now – Don’t expect more than a post card each day,

  Love,

  Sherry.

  TO Aurelia Schober Plath

  Saturday 3 July 1948

  ALS (postcard), Indiana University

  July 3, 1948

  Saturday

  What’s Warren’s address!

  Dear Mother,

  I got those two packages yesterday – the mosquito netting is wonderful I don’t have one single mosquito inside it. I don’t need the wind-breaker at all, ’cause Betsy’s red jacket is so nice and warm. Betsy & Ruth slept in the same cot last night and talked and laughed from 3 to 5 – of course I couldn’t sleep – Ruthie wasn’t so noisy, but Betsy!! and she knows how I love to sleep, too, darn her. So I feel quite sleepy this morning. If she wakes me up again – I’ll conk her with my suit case. I went sailing yesterday and had the most wonderful time – everything I learned last year is slowly coming back. Betsy and Ruth are dissatisfied with the counselling unit, but I’m going to try to get a good reputation in case I’m ever a counselor.

  Love

  Sherry

  TO Aurelia Schober Plath

  Saturday 3 July 1948

  ALS (postcard), Indiana University

  July 3, 1948

  Sat. afternoon

  Dear Mum,

  Boy, do I feel wonderful! Bets, Ruthy and I have been laying out on the beach after our swim and we all feel so refreshed. The counsellor has gone down to get my bike from the repair shop so that I can bike to the races at Vineyard Haven today. The things I like most are biking and sailing, and I live to go sailing! I feel a sort of thrill go through me when I’m at the tiller thinking “This is me sailing the boat.” I hope we can wangle more bike-trips for our unit. The salt air is very invigorating and I love it down here – I’d die if I couldn’t stay a month. Do send me Warren’s address – I forgot it. I’m going to start learning that monologue. Give my love to Grammy and grampy. When I tried to swim the crawl today, I almost swallowed the whole lagoon.

  Love,

  Sherry

  TO Aurelia Schober Plath

  Saturday 3 July 1948

  ALS (postcard), Indiana University

  July 3, 1948

  Sat. evening

  Dear Mum,

  Here I am again. At this rate I’ll use all my post cards up in a week. Well, my bike got back in time for me to go to see the races with the rest of the camp. It was such fun biking! I only weighed 122 when I came, but I’m starved at meals and eat and eat! I’m starved for people, and it’s such fun to wave to all the cars – the boys (the few there are ‘on the island) are so good looking! I’m probably going to bike to church tomorrow – they changed the front tire on the bike, and I thought that they were new just a short while ago! I have company, because Ruthy’s bike broke down on the trip today and will have to be repaired. I don’t dare ask what the price will be for my job on my bike! I’ve just begun to learn my monologue – I’ve got one of the four pages learned.

  Love,

  Sherry

  TO Aurelia Schober Plath

  Sunday 4 July 1948

  ALS (postcard), Indiana University

  July 4, 1948

  Sunday noon

  Dear Mum,

  This morning I biked about 4 miles to church at Oak bluffs. We went to an open-air Methodist Trinity Church* which has a lovely dome for the roof and open-sides. Birds kept flying in and out the huge room during the service, which was dull and hot. The singing was nice though. We’re going on a bike hike (all except the bike unit) to South beach where we’ll go swimming. We don’t go sailing again till Tuesday. My bike repairs cost $5! I thought I’d die! I have hardly anything left – especially for pottery. I have about $3 already taken off my account for transportation expenses! Do come visit me on the 11th – maybe you could bring a little fruit – if that tire I had changed was just new, maybe you could take it back with you.

  love

  siv.

  TO Aurelia Schober Plath

  Monday 5 July 1948

  ALS (postcard), Indiana University

  July 5, 1948

  Dear Mummy,

  We’re going to have a swimming meet this afternoon, and I’m so sleepy that I’ll probably drown. It’ll be so nice to have you come to visit me. We’re riding our bikes down to a pottery demonstration – I hope I can scrape together enough to take it if I like it. Things are so gypsy here – $1 to go anywhere in the camp truck – $2.50 to go to Nantucket – I’d hate to get left out. I hope that you have a wonderful vacation. We only go sailing 8 times this month, and we have nothing much besides swimming and an occasional bike trip now and then – sometimes things get so dull. – I don’t see Ann much. I hope we have a talent show sometime – I’m trying to finish learning that “thing.”

  Love,

  “Sherry”

  TO Aurelia Schober Plath

  Tuesday 6 July 1948

  ALS (postcard), Indiana University

  July 6, 1948

  Dear Mum,

  Could you please send me your address at Falmouth.

  Honestly, you should see how grasping they are with money. If I take pottery for 2 weeks, I can’t go to Nantucket or anything. We biked to Vineyard Haven for the pottery demonstration and it looks simply fascinating! 3 dollars takes care of 4 lessons in which one can make a small article or two. I went sailing this morning with my favorite counsellor – she’s adorable, but very indomitable about sailing. She’s daring, too, and the boat heeled so much that I practically went on my face in the water – the boat
was perpendicular to the waves and these pictures are no exaggeration! My hair is so caked with salt that it won’t curl, and I’m going to wash it this afternoon.

  Love,

  Me

  TO Aurelia Schober Plath

  Tuesday 6 July 1948

  ALS (postcard), Indiana University

  July 6, 1948

  Tuesday

  Dear Mum,

  I can’t wait to see you Sunday – don’t spend too much money coming over, now. I miss you a little, and it will be nice when you come. I want to gain weight, and I eat enough, only we have so much exercise that it’s hard to. When you come, do bring a few express tags. Tonight we had a terrible thunderstorm, and the rain was blown over the lagoon in silvery sheets. I’m hoping my bike holds out – if we go on any more trips. I washed my hair this afternoon, but it won’t stay clean long with all our sailing (only 14 hours a month) and swimming. My Docks (the old ones) are getting so holey that it’s impossible to mend them! The overnight hike is what I really dread – sleeping on the cooold cold ground! They seem so stupid to me, but then I miss my inbetween meal snacks.

  Love

  Sherry

  TO Aurelia Schober Plath

  Wednesday 7 July 1948

  ALS (postcard), Indiana University

  July 7, 1948

  Wednesday

  Dear Mum,

  Today it was Only 50° in the morning, so I wore about three layers of clothes to be comfortable. The diet here is very skimpy. We have only had meat twice (and only minute servings) and eggs not at all – mostly salads and odd soups with mixtures of obscure vegetables, so we have to fill up on what there is of bread and butter – Just at present I’d like a chicken dinner – my stomach is shrunken before lunch! Let’s hope I can get my skit memorized. I doubt if it’s good enough to be the representative from our group. I’ve written to you every day, once, at least, so I hope you get my mail regularly. I’m so proud – I’ve got more mail from home than anyone else in my tent – Keep up the good work! This is really the most scenic place that I’ve seen for ages. I’ve never had such a comfortable bed in my life. I hate to get up at 7:00! I’ll try drawing the kids in my tent, too, If I have time

  Love,

  me

  TO Aurelia Schober Plath

  Thursday 8 July 1948

  ALS with envelope,

  Indiana University

  July 8, 1948

  Thursday

  Dear Mummy,

  As I write, I’m sitting on the beach with the sun warm on my back. I couldn’t go swimming because I have a sore throat and backache, and the nurse won’t let me. The thing that bothered me was that I began to spit up rusty phlegm this morning. I know it sounds sort of bad – the kids say I no doubt have T.B. (cheery thought) but the nurse says it’s probably just a few little capillaries breaking. Betsy wants to go home alot, and we’re always trying to cheer her up, and just beginning to succeed. Of course, when you’re sick at camp you miss home most. We’re going on an overnight Friday, and I just hope I don’t get pneumonia!

  We have begun arts and crafts, but the awful thing is that we have to make (and pay for) ties out of cheap white cloth! I wanted to draw, but we have to cut and sew the darn old ties.

  The more I’m in this old unit, the less I want to be a counsellor. For one thing, the counsellors don’t like our tent because we are always late, and talking together and everyone (except me) doesn’t want to be a counsellor. Every bit of time we have to ourselves, we get together and talk and laugh and play cards. We’re the five musketeers – Bets, Ruthie, the girl from our tent, and Marilyn (a darling girl from our unit) and me. Yesterday we all had a laughing fit and I laughed so hard that I thought my sides would burst – we all were literally rolling on the floor! You see, we’d just had a game of hearts, and Ruthy had just fallen out of the cabin when the bed she was sitting on slipped over the edge of the floor. Since the drop was about 5 feet, it was very hilarious. We’re going sailing this afternoon, and I can’t wait.

  I wear my flannels every night, and am very grateful for them. My mosquito netting is just marvelous. Have you changed your address yet? I am only 123 lbs. in weight.

  One unit went deepsea fishing today (price $1) and they caught 60 fish or so. As I have said before, our meals our very skimpy – last night we actually had hotdogs!

  Be glad you don’t have to take the car over on the boat – it costs $15! I know an easy way to get bankrupt – come to Vineyard for a month – remember come over between 12 noon and 4:30! We all look forward to seeing you this Sunday. I’ll probably feel better by then, I hope.

  Give my special love to grammy and grampy, and do send me Warren’s and Wayne’s and that French girl. Gee, I wish grammy had asked who the strange “male” was. It might have been John, as you suggest. If anyone else calls, give them my address, please.

  I think I’m really too old to go to camp anymore, except as a counsellor, which I probably won’t because of my councellor’s dislike for our whole tent. So far I’ve done a pencil crayon picture of bets, but I’m so used to pastels that it doesn’t look at all like her.

  If I haven’t told you already, the cookout last night was delectable. We hope to do more of the same.

  Love to all, from your very own me

  Sherry

 

 

  Having a wonderful time here! Just about to go sailing now!

  TO Aurelia Schober Plath

  Sunday–Monday 11–12 July 1948*

  ALS with envelope,

  Indiana University

  After you left

  Naughty, naughty mother,

  Honestly, I simply could die when I think of you running up and down that damn old hill. I just wish you would have called to me and let me do it! I only hope you’re all right! – making me worry so! I went right up and drank 3 glasses of water and shed some more tears and then I was all through for the rest of the month. I feel better already, and I hope you can write honestly that you are fine and rested and suffer no ill effects from your silly run! I don’t know how you’d get along without me, really. The water really made me feel a lot better, and I won’t be homesick any more, I know.

  Don’t join the “rocking chair” brigade anymore, will you! I have so much to look forward to here, and when I go home, I’m sure I’ll write more poems and stories like I did last summer. You know, I started thinking of the main idea of “Alone and Alone”* last summer at camp!

  The aftermath of your visit was pleasant. I feel like I’ve had an emotional purge – all my pent up feelings let go when I cried, and I feel so much better.

  “Jo”, our tentmate (who is 40 years old) came in second in the race. I’ve never seen anyone so dazed. Let’s hope the counsellors don’t find out about our private grocery store! This afternoon we took some funny pictures of each other on Betsy’s camera. Give my love to everyone.

  Honestly, now, instead of going around with a hungry pain, I just take a bite of cooky and think of you with love.

  We had a nice scout’s own tonight – singing hymns around the campfire. Somehow there’s nothing so comforting as singing with a group.

  Monday Morning

  Oh, am I dead! Last night two of the girls were missing from our unit, and of course we were all nervous after taps. It was about eleven when we learned that they had been found hiding in another tent. By that time we were starved, so we ate some cherries and peanut butter crackers. By that time we were so tired we were dizzy. This morning we had fun sailing, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get to crew in a race – there is so much I don’t know.

  Well, mail’s going out now, so I’ll have to skimp on my three cent stamp and close.

  Love

  Sherry

  TO Aurelia Schober Plath

  Tuesday 13 July 1948

  ALS (postcard), Indiana University

  July 13, 1948

  Dear Mu
mmy,

  It is just rest hour, and we’ve spent the morning sailing (2 hours.) In the lunch period our unit divided up into 3 groups, and, one went into each unit, and each girl had some special activity to supervise in the preparing of the meal I had fire builders in the pioneer unit, and it was so much fun. I got to know so many more kids and it was nice to have the responsibility. We had a cookout because our water supply is on the blink. I have no more sore throat or phlegm, but one of my eyes is all bloodshot and watery – it’s probably from the salt water, but it is very annoying. It is cloudy and looks like rain and my face is all broken out and Ruthy is a pain in the neck sometimes – always bragging about you-know-what and saying I’m jealous – At times like this I long for my very own mummy. I miss our piano, too, but I’ll cheer up.

  Love,

  me

  TO Aurelia Schober Plath

  Wednesday 14 July 1948

  ALS (postcard), Indiana University

  1

  July 14, 1948 (noon)

  Dear Mum,

  In spite of being dead tired after 6 hours of sleep last night (Jo was talking all the time because it was her last night), I feel much better. My eye is clearing up, and the nurse put arguol* in it. Betsy is going to be in a harbor race today, and I only wish that I was going, too. We had loads of fun at the camp house last night. Each unit dramatized a story – ours was “Snow White”. Right away, Betsy said to me “I’ll be Snow White and you be Prince Charming.” (You know how she always is the star.) Well, she almost had conniption’s when the kids elected me as Snow White. She was “Grumpy.” I had such fun – Ruthy was the wicked queen, and looked stunning in a draped rose bathrobe – I wore a lacy white blouse and a blue silk skirt. Of course my eye was worse then, and my skin a mess, but I enjoyed every minute!