Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Susan Wheeler’s "Song for the Spirit of Natalie Going" is a poignant and rhythmically intricate meditation on the fragility and radiance of a life, likely a child’s, whose presence and absence echo deeply. The poem’s fragmented structure and lyrical language reflect the overwhelming intensity of love, grief, and memory, merging personal loss with universal themes of transience and connection.

The opening lines establish the tender focus on the child: “Small bundle of bones, small bundle of fingers, of plumpness, of heart.” The physicality of the description is intimate and vivid, grounding the reader in the tangible reality of the child’s presence. The repetition of “small bundle” conveys both the vulnerability and completeness of the child, as though the entirety of their being is wrapped in those few words.

Wheeler moves seamlessly between moments of joy and sorrow, encapsulating the wholeness of the child’s existence and the speaker’s profound bond with them. “Lit up in the joy, lachrymose GA, your bundle oh KA” captures the delight and melancholy intertwined in the act of remembering. The invocation of “GA” and “KA” suggests both the babbling of a young child and a spiritual resonance, perhaps drawing from Egyptian mythology where ka represents the vital essence or soul. This duality of the physical and the spiritual underpins much of the poem.

The poem celebrates the child’s curiosity and wonder: “astonished, in dazzling fix / on the small crawling lights in their spaceship of night.” The imagery of lights and spaceships suggests a childlike fascination with the world, a joy in discovery that feels both specific to the individual and universally relatable. Wheeler’s language here is playful yet profound, embodying the fleeting magic of childhood moments.

Yet, the poem does not shy away from the stark reality of loss: “knees fall—and falling, a dream, a final / singsong UH HAH in the starkest of suns.” The repetition of “fall” mirrors the descent into grief, while the “singsong UH HAH” evokes the haunting echo of a child’s voice, lingering even in absence. The juxtaposition of “starkest of suns” and “the heat now a blanket” captures the paradoxical weight of grief—it is both a searing, unrelenting presence and a suffocating, heavy burden.

Wheeler’s use of punctuation and fragmented syntax mimics the rhythms of memory and emotion. The uneven pacing, sudden shifts, and cascading images mirror the speaker’s attempt to process their loss, moving between moments of vivid recollection and the empty spaces left behind. The closing lines—“Such a sharp love there is! Such a loud / love there beats! Such a filled hole you leave”—encapsulate the intensity of the speaker’s emotions. The “sharp” and “loud” love emphasize both the beauty and pain of their connection, while the paradoxical “filled hole” conveys the enduring presence of absence.

The final phrase, “your future in me,” offers a moment of reflection and continuity. It suggests that the child’s spirit and legacy live on in the speaker, shaping their understanding of love, loss, and the future.

“Song for the Spirit of Natalie Going” is a powerful elegy that balances the wonder of a life with the weight of its absence. Through its fragmented, musical structure and richly evocative imagery, Wheeler captures the complex interplay of joy, sorrow, and memory, offering a deeply personal yet universally resonant meditation on love and loss.

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