Hi, Mary—
Suicide runs in my family, too. I suspect that many people write poetry as a way of throwing light into that darkness, and giving voice to that pain, not always successfully avoiding a fatal outcome. I am sorry about your sister.
I got Virginia Woolf (river), Sylvia Plath (oven), and Anne Sexton (gas) right away. After a bit of googling, I’m guessing that Charlotte refers to Charlotte Mew who poisoned herself by drinking Lysol. I am not familiar with her poetry.
Glenn
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