Listen, children:
Your father is dead.
From his old coats
I'll make you little jackets;
I'll make you little trousers
From his old pants.
There'll be in his pockets
Things he used to put there,
Keys and pennies
Covered with tobacco;
Dan shall have the pennies
To save in his bank;
Anne shall have the keys
To make a pretty noise with.
Life must go on,
And the dead be forgotten;
Life must go on,
Though good men die;
Anne, eat your breakfast;
Dan, take your medicine;
Life must go on;
I forget just why.
Notes
Composition date is unknown - the above date represents the first publication date.
The lyrical form of this poem is unrhyming.
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The poem is almost contradicting...the author purposely states that she will give her children the possesions of their dead father and then to go on living without him. Walking in a dead man's clothes would probably continue grievance for awhile. Then after attempting to sound sincere about living on without the dead the author states that she doesn't know why we as humans should go on living.
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It is something I can relate to in different ways. Seems people try to say everything's ok and it doesn't hurt them but then you hear them crying in their beds at night.
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I thought it was okay. I'm not sure there's any complexity or allusions in the reference to trousers, coats, pennies and keys.
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I like the elusion of the wife's despair until the very end. It's like she's moving forward with a purpose, then you realize she's lost.
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I liked this.
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