Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Mark Strand’s "Some Last Words" is a darkly humorous and enigmatic meditation on mortality, futility, and the paradoxes of existence. Through its seven succinct sections, the poem adopts a sardonic tone, blending absurdity, existential reflection, and the inevitability of death into a collection of cryptic statements. The repeated refrain, "Just go to the graveyard and ask around," acts as both a grounding mantra and a grim reminder that the answers to life’s mysteries—or the lack thereof—lie in death.

The first section opens with an inversion of a biblical aphorism, suggesting that "It is easier for a needle to pass through a camel / Than for a poor man to enter a woman of means." This twist on the familiar proverb immediately sets a playful yet cynical tone, substituting materialism and power dynamics for spirituality. The image of the graveyard as a source of ultimate knowledge invites a paradox: the dead, silent and immobile, are ironically suggested as the only reliable witnesses to the truth of such matters. The juxtaposition of the absurd with the macabre signals Strand’s intent to challenge conventional wisdom with dark humor and philosophical irony.

In the second section, the speaker describes a mundane act—slipping outside and letting the door "Bang shut on your latest thought"—as a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of human cognition and the insignificance of individual thoughts. The dismissal of the thought’s content with "What was it anyway?" underscores the fleeting nature of memory and meaning. Once again, the refrain directs the reader to the graveyard, where forgotten and unresolved thoughts presumably accumulate, perhaps hinting at the futility of intellectual pursuits in the face of death.

The third section introduces the notion of "Negligence" as a perfume the speaker loves, coupled with the invocation of Fedora, a name that evokes mystery and allure. The playful imagery here contrasts sharply with the graveyard refrain, suggesting that even beauty and desire—quintessential aspects of life—are ultimately ephemeral. The refrain reinforces the inevitability of death, grounding the speaker’s musings in the reality of the graveyard, where neglect and decay replace the perfume of life.

In the fourth section, Strand’s imagery expands to include "the bones of the buffalo," "the rabbit at sunset," and "the wind and its double." These images evoke the natural world, with its cycles of life and death, as well as the interconnectedness of all things. The "wind and its double" suggests both the tangible and intangible aspects of existence—the physical world and the echoes it leaves behind. The refrain’s return reminds the reader that even these elements of nature ultimately converge in the graveyard, the final repository for all.

The fifth section takes on a more overtly cynical tone, addressing the reader’s optimism with a blunt warning: "If you think good things are on their way / And the world will improve, don’t hold your breath." Here, Strand critiques human idealism and faith in progress, positioning the graveyard as the definitive counterargument. The dead, who have witnessed the unchanging nature of human folly and mortality, offer a stark reminder of life’s inherent limitations.

The sixth section shifts to a question of existential imprisonment, asking why the reader wonders "if this is the valley / Of limitless blue, and if we are its prisoners." The "valley of limitless blue" evokes an expansive yet oppressive landscape, suggesting that freedom and entrapment may coexist in the human condition. The graveyard refrain serves as an ironic answer, implying that the ultimate escape from such existential quandaries is death itself, which offers a release from all prisons, even those of thought.

The final section concludes with a statement that life is "a dream that is never recalled when the sleeper awakes." This aphorism, resonating with ideas from philosophy and mysticism, underscores the ephemerality of existence and the idea that death represents an awakening from the illusion of life. The address to the "Magnificent One" adds a touch of irony, as the speaker dismisses grandiosity or spiritual superiority with the same directive to seek answers in the graveyard, where all pretenses of greatness dissolve into the anonymity of death.

Structurally, "Some Last Words" is built on a series of seemingly disconnected vignettes, unified by the refrain. This repetition creates a rhythmic grounding, while the varying imagery and tone in each section challenge the reader to interpret the poem’s fragmented reflections. Strand’s use of conversational and declarative language adds to the accessibility of the poem, even as its ideas remain elusive and enigmatic.

Thematically, the poem delves into the impermanence of life, the futility of human endeavors, and the inevitability of death. By invoking the graveyard as both a literal and symbolic space, Strand underscores the finality of mortality while simultaneously inviting reflection on the absurdity of life’s pursuits. The humor and irony in the poem prevent it from descending into despair, offering instead a wry acknowledgment of life’s complexities and contradictions.

"Some Last Words" is ultimately a meditation on the human condition, filled with wit, skepticism, and an unflinching gaze at mortality. Strand invites the reader to confront life’s fleeting nature with a mixture of humor and resignation, finding meaning not in definitive answers but in the act of questioning itself. By turning to the graveyard—both a literal and metaphorical repository of experience—the poem reminds us of the shared fate that unites all living things, even as we grapple with the mysteries of existence.

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