Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Philip Levine's "Death Bearing" is a haunting and deeply emotional poem that explores the pervasive and inescapable presence of death in the life of a grieving mother. Through stark imagery and a fragmented narrative, Levine captures the profound sense of loss and the omnipresence of death in everyday objects and actions.

The poem opens with the sun waking and staining the woman's pillow, immediately setting a tone of bleakness and highlighting the intrusion of sorrow into the most intimate and personal spaces. The yellowed bowl in the bathroom and the gone son suggest neglect and an unbearable absence that permeates the home. The spider flaring like hair in the lightbulb is a fleeting, almost surreal image that captures the sudden and startling nature of grief.

The repetition of "gone" emphasizes the mother's relentless awareness of her child's absence. He is gone in the coffee, the cigarette, the napkin, and the reflections of the knife, underscoring how every aspect of her daily life is marked by his disappearance. The natural elements, such as the snapdragon and the bluejay, juxtapose the beauty of life with the harsh reality of death. The young plum tree and the settling dust on the grape lids signify the passage of time and the slow accumulation of grief.

Levine's description of the mother's body, with her son "gone in her shoulders" and "gone in the small black hairs curling on the backs of her fists," suggests that her physical being is now a vessel for her loss. Her closed eyes hint at a desire to escape or perhaps to remember, reflecting the inner struggle between acceptance and denial.

The poem then shifts to a broader, more universal scene: "In the middle of a dry field a child dies like an ark." This imagery evokes a sense of desolation and abandonment, where even the natural world is touched by death. The description of burning nettles, darkened grasses, and late wildflowers creates a landscape marked by decay and destruction.

As the narrative progresses, Levine portrays a collective experience of grief. The "immense heat" in the eyes of those who turn back to look at the field signifies the burning intensity of their sorrow. The animals—bears calling for water, horses lying down, and a lion praying—add to the sense of a world in mourning, where every creature is affected by the loss.

The image of the crib on fire and the gray roof taking wing is both vivid and surreal, symbolizing the complete destruction of the mother's safe haven and the uncontrollable nature of her grief. The windows melting into dark pools further emphasize the dissolution of her world.

In her attempts to cleanse and rid her home of death, the mother engages in a futile battle. She washes the tiny shirts, shakes out traces of death, wrings hankies, and heats the iron, all in an effort to expunge the presence of death from her life. Yet, the poem suggests that death is inescapable and intrinsic to her existence. The luminous hand against the noon, with its five fingers each containing five deaths, symbolizes the pervasive and multifaceted nature of loss.

The mother's longing for her son is poignantly expressed in the final lines. She desires a small boy with his arm around her neck, cheek to cheek, singing little poems, and planting bright flags in the air. This imagery captures the innocence and joy that have been irrevocably lost. The act of running out of breath signifies the exhaustion of grief and the fleeting nature of life.

"Death Bearing" is a powerful meditation on the omnipresence of death and the relentless nature of grief. Through Levine's masterful use of imagery and fragmented narrative, the poem conveys the depth of a mother's sorrow and the ways in which loss permeates every aspect of her being. The poem invites readers to contemplate the universality of grief and the enduring impact of death on the human experience.

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