Author Unknown
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glint of snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain
When you awaken in the mornings hush
I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight
I am the soft stars that shine at night
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I DID NOT DIE
By reading just the title I think the poem is going to be about someone dying. I say that because of the words eulogy and veteran. The line “do not stand at my grave and weep” means don’t visit his grave and be sad. The line “I am not there, I do not sleep” means that they aren’t there; they’re not going to show up. The line “I am a thousand winds that blow” is a metaphor which is used to give feeling to the poem meaning that he’s there for his family; that he wants his family to think about him every time they feel the wind blow. The line “I am the diamond glint of snow” is also a metaphor meaning he wants his family to think of him when they see the new, shiny snow of winter. “I am the sunlight on ripened grain” is a metaphor meaning he is warmth and golden. “I am the gentle autumn rain” is also a metaphor but it means that he’s gentle and he’s there when it’s raining. “When you awaken in the mornings hush” is a reminder to the family from the veteran. “I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight” is a metaphor telling his family to think of him when they feel that uplifting rush. “I am the soft stars that shine at night” is a metaphor reminding his family to think of him when they see the stars shining at night. “I am not there, I DID NOT DIE” means that even though he’s not on earth anymore he plans to remind his family that he loves them through the little things he’s mentioned throughout the poem. I think the attitude of this poem is loving, sad, persistent and determined to help his family move on from his death. The shifts in the poem happen in the stanza divisions. Looking back at the title, I see now that it’s not just about someone dying; it’s about the deceased helping their loved ones move on. I think the theme of this poem is even though someone has died, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re “dead”; you just have to let them live through your heart.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The poem starts of in what seems to be a monotone. With many simple verbs such as "picking... bringing.... rolling ... whining..." are used to depicts how days after days, it is all the same. The bodies of the soldiers, days after days are all monotonously follow the same routine and being treated in a somewhat a seemingly cold and offhanded way. These simple words are repetitive; they aim to enhance the effect of imprinting a strong image within the readers' visual imagination of the relentless pace. Forcing the readers into feeling this great injustice for these soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for their country, within the war. Yet their bodies are treated no less than animals, following a strict routine of piling up in trucks, convoys, tagging them, giving them names, and boarding them onto the jets so they can finally return to their beloved home. This is their homecoming. The tone of this particular poem is apparent here. Within the title itself "Homecoming" is irony. When homecoming is spoken of, an image of happiness, of a safe return of those who have left so long ago, a safe return back to their world, security and comfort. Yet it is subtly ironic in term that these soldiers are no longer alive, their homecoming is one of death and a great sadness for their family members.…
- 799 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
“Slaveship,” by Lucille Clifton, is a free verse poem from the perspective of slaves that the white men capture and trade in the slave trade, forcing them to travel on the Middle Passage. Ironically, the ships bear the names of religious symbols and figures such as Jesus, Angel of God, and Grace of God (lines 14-15) even though the act of slavery is one of the most sinful systems in the eyes of these slaves and in the eyes of all decent human beings.…
- 477 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Just like a Star across my Sky A Bird—flying at dawn Just like a Picture—in my head A Dream of the last night No matter how I desire for— Is just an Empty Dream No matter how Crazy I Run— I remain—at same place Look back at the dark pasts and times— Times with laughter and tears Farwell to the old memories Step forward—to the dream I have a Long way to go— Have to Run through the Way…
- 110 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
I was born in Denver Colorado because I was a premature baby. I lived in Bloomfield and living in Farmington now. Growing up in Bloomfield and in Farmington. childhood accidents one time i was outside playing and there was a big snake right in front of me. childhood memories were a lot of them too many to write. important invents in my life right now are school and home no girls anymore because their a pain in the neck. previous pets were all dogs i have two right now one is a guy pit bull his name is Champzilla and a girl chamerian her name is Luna. Ive taken trips to california and alberqurqe. former friends are some from elementary but some of them went to heights with me. former teachers are ms johnson,mr Erickson, ms. conley, and ms pen˜a. teams I've played on are the power rangers the cheetahs lightning the fireballs and fusa. previous romance are bobbi howell and melissa tapia. i liked her but it was fake.…
- 612 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
This poem is about Hayden who hears a boy being beaten, recalls his childhood when he too was subjected to the same and notices that this form of punishment has been handed down from generation to generation. He uses visual and auditory imagery together to take the reader to different moments in time, where the same event is being played over and is put in six quatrains to add emphasis. In the first quatrain, Hayden hears a woman "shouting to the neighborhood her goodness and the boy's wrongs" and Hayden knows that the boy across the way is getting beat again. This gives the image of a woman yelling so loudly that everyone in the complex can hear her tell the boy that she raised him better than his bad deed. In the second quatrain Hayden adds sound to the image when the boy "wildly crashes through the elephant ears." Besides Hayden creating the picture of the child running in fear, the racket that is made when he hits the large leaves contributes to the impact of the scene. Another image that is given in this same quatrain is the description of the woman's "crippling fat." In the third quatrain visual and sound are once again employed by Hayden. That woman "strikes and strikes the shrilly circling boy" is another vivid image with sound where one can hear and see this boy, now caught, screaming and running around the woman, who repeatedly hits him. At this point the author makes a transition to his own memory of having been whipped as a child and continues with the same type of visuals and sounds. And in the end Hayden…
- 1206 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
I chose the poem "Possum Crossing" by Nikki Giovanni and I feel that the poem has meaning to life in the fact that we mistake some things for what they're really not. The thesis of this poem is that things can be confusing and hard to understand, and sometimes easy to mistake something for something else.…
- 676 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.” (Mark Twain)…
- 782 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The cycle of life drives each individual to pass through different stages until finally reaching adulthood. All the ups and downs, experiences, learning, standing up for him/herself , are steps into reaching the final product : maturity. A coming of age process of a protagonist, a dunce who is heading up to this world to seek for his own destiny, his future looking for answers, and going through various types of experiences. But what drives a youth to take this risk ? There must be a reason for an individual to take such a journey at a young age, and usually and most probably it is an emotional loss, this can be described as something spiritual or in the form of an individual. This protagonist is heading for his maturity, to reach it, he will gradually go through steps that present difficulties he has to face. This lad is wanting to be accepted by the society he lives in as the mature individual he is seeking to achieve. The change a person undergoes to attain a perfect transformation from a youth to adulthood focuses on the psychological and moral growth he/she achieves. The transition of a young man to a man varies in different societies, maturity depends on several factors that differ between societies, some consider sexual maturity as in early adolescence as a sign for maturity, and others take marriage as the conformation an individual takes to prove his maturity, his transition from the dunce he once was to the mature man he is now. The double “I Do’’ is the kind of choice recognized by the law which is the formal union of two individuals mature enough, responsible enough, and aware by the action they are taking, and they go for it. What circumstances people go through that drive them to step out from naivety to reach adultness which allows them to take big decisions such as marriage ?…
- 2814 Words
- 12 Pages
Better Essays -
The wind blows through the valley with force and power, as if a greek god was common us. The wind blows my hair over…
- 532 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
You who were darkness warmed my flesh where out of darkness rose the seed. Then all a world I made in me; all the world you hear andYou who were darkness warmed my flesh where out of darkness rose the seed. Then all a world I made in me; all the world you hear and see hung upon my dreaming blood.…
- 273 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
William B Yeats (1865-1939) From The Wind Among the Reeds (1899) Men improve with the Years I am worn out with dreams; A weather-worn, marble triton Among the streams; And all day long I look Upon this lady's beauty As though I had found in book…
- 3473 Words
- 14 Pages
Good Essays -
Sarojini Naidu (1879-1949), the 'Nightingale of India,' is remembered as a leading woman nationalist leader of India's political struggle for independence. Born in 1879 as Sarojini Chattopadhyay and one of the brightest students in school, she blossomed into a writer of passionate verses on a variety of themes. Her works on poetry are The Golden Threshold, published in 1905; The Feather of the Dawn; The Bird of Time, published in 1912, and The Broken Wing, published in 1917.…
- 6045 Words
- 24 Pages
Good Essays -
Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom Then all the children of Cocoa Bottom went to see Mr. Samuel 's electric lights . They camped on the grass bank outside his house, their lamps filled with oil , waiting for sunset, watching the sky turn yellow, orange . Grannie Patterson across the road peeped through the crack in her porch door . The cable was drawn like a pencil line across the sun .…
- 253 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Contents Wind.................................................................................................................... 3 Sea Fever............................................................................................................. 5 The Tiger............................................................................................................. 6 We are going to See the Rabbit.......................................................................... 9 My Parents kept me from Children who were Rough....................................... 11…
- 3483 Words
- 12 Pages
Powerful Essays -
|Memories of My Town | | | |When I recall the days | |That saw my childhood of yore | |Beside the verdant shore | |Of a murmuring lagoon; | |When I remember the sighs | |Of the breeze that on my brow | |Sweet and caressing did blow | |With coolness full of delight; | | | |When I look at the lily white | |Fills up with air violent | |And the stormy element | |On the sand doth meekly sleep; | |When sweet 'toxicating scent | |From the flowers I inhale | |Which at the dawn they exhale | |When at us it begins to peep; | | | |I sadly recall your face, | |Oh precious infancy, | |That a mother lovingly | |Did succeed to embellish. | |I…
- 3186 Words
- 13 Pages
Good Essays