Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, STATIONED, by ALBERT GOLDBARTH



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

STATIONED, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: It's the other ones, who soon enough return
Subject(s): Mourning; Bereavement


It's the other ones, who soon enough return
to being happy after the funeral, that are nearest
to their own deaths -- in their gaiety
and everyday distraction, they're so open

and unguarded . . . anything could enter them;
could claim them. It's the ones who weep
incessantly that are saved for now, the ones
who have taken a little of it

into their systems: this is how
inoculation works. And sorrow is difficult,
a job: it requires time to complete.
And the tears? -- the salt

of the folk saying,
that gets sprinkled over the tail feathers
and keeps a bird from flying;
keeps it stationed in this world.

Copyright © 2001 by The Modern Poetry Association.
This poem appears in January 2001 issue of Poetry Magazine.
http://www.poetrymagazine.org






Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...



Home: PoetryExplorer.net