Waking in Blue

poem by Lowell

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July 23, 2026

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"Waking in Blue" is a poem by Robert Lowell featured in his 1959 collection, Life Studies. This collection was a pivotal work, helping to launch the trend of confessional poetry in the 1960s. "Waking in Blue," along with other poems in the "Life Studies" section, delves into Lowell's personal experiences, offering intimate and often painful insights into his youth, his imprisonment for conscientious objection during World War II, his marriage, and his time spent in a mental hospital. The poem is noted for its raw honesty and its contribution to Lowell's reputation for autobiographical and emotionally resonant verse.12

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Robert Lowell
Life Studies and confessional poetry
Chief among these are “Waking in Blue,” which tells of Lowell’s confinement in a mental hospital, and “Skunk Hour,” which conveys his mental turmoil with dramatic intensity.
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Chief among these are “Waking in Blue,” which tells of Lowell’s confinement in a mental hospital, and “Skunk Hour,” which conveys his mental turmoil with dramatic intensity.
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Life Studies
…well-known “Skunk Hour” and “Waking in Blue,” which reveals the poet’s intimate, even painful views of his youth, his imprisonment for conscientious objection during World War II, his marriage, and his stay in a mental hospital.
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…well-known “Skunk Hour” and “Waking in Blue,” which reveals the poet’s intimate, even painful views of his youth, his imprisonment for conscientious objection during World War II, his marriage, and his stay in a mental hospital.
Read More