Summary

The text is a poignant reflection on the emotional turmoil and existential shifts one experiences with the death of family members, likening the pain to various forms of physical assault and noting the isolating effect of each loss.

Abstract

"Of Life and Death" is a contemplative poem that delves into the profound emotional impact of losing family members. It describes the evolution of grief as a visceral experience, akin to being attacked by a Norse battle-axe, Thor's hammer, or the precise cuts of a Swiss Army knife. With each death, the speaker feels increasingly detached from themselves and the world, which seems to grow more populated even as their personal connections diminish. The poem conveys that death, though a constant and unstoppable force like a glacier, often feels sudden and unexpected due to human tendencies to distance themselves from the concept. The author explores the complexities of emotional responses to loss, including the influence of personal biases, social dynamics, and the intricate interplay of heart and mind. The text underscores the deep, often painful throbs of emotion that resonate with the core of our being when confronted with the mortality of loved ones or the tragedy of massacres.

Opinions

The author suggests that each subsequent loss feels more isolating and changes one's perspective on life.
Death is portrayed as an inevitable force, yet its occurrence is often perceived as shocking due to human psychology.
The poem implies that emotional reactions to death are influenced by personal profit-loss considerations, social capital, and perceptions of affection.
There is a recognition of a mysterious entity, possibly the heart or soul, that is the source of intense emotions, including love and grief.
The text hints at a critique of societal tendencies to distance oneself from death, which can lead to a lack of genuine emotional expression.
The author draws a parallel between personal loss and larger-scale tragedies, suggesting a universal connection in the experience of grief.

Of Life and Death

A poem on emotions after the death of a family member.

The pangs of loss morph from

A Norse battle-axe’s hacks to

Thor’s Mjölnir clobbering away at the ribcage to

The stabs of a Swiss Army knife to

A sharp steel floss slicing the flesh.

Each additional death makes me

Marginally less myself, a stranger to my soul,

A lonelier first person

in an otherwise ever-increasingly

Populated world.

With each passing away,

The shape, structure, orientation

And the speed of my orbit change

Slightly yet abruptly

Like the inevitable

Redirection of a warship.

Death is as consistent and persistent

As an un-bulwarkable Himalayan glacier.

Nonetheless, it feels like a sudden

And quick lightning from the fair sky

Due to our subjective ignorance,

Objective relativism, spatial distance,

Temporal myopia, recreational depression,

And interlocutor bias (not here, not me), inter alia.

I figure: emotional dissonance and

Expectation gaps in expressions could be attributed

To differences of the personal profit-loss delta,

Social capital, or the lack thereof,

And perceptions of affectional discrimination

(s/he didn’t give a damn about me!);

Such was the calculus of Princess Maria Bolkonskaya

During the last days of her father, the Old Prince.

I get that; I know where one is coming from.

However, somewhere halfway between the heart

And the brain lives a strange being,

Organic or metaphysical, only trained

Professionals can tell; all I know

That it is there, the ‘object’ that induces

Stuff like love, passion, hate, greed,

Grievance, and yes, sadness, melancholy.

That entity, fleshy or aerial,

Throbs like a gaping wound,

Every time I see one of my kinsfolks go,

Or every time a new massacre I hear of or lo.

Halifax, 16.04.21