Full poem:
I met a man a dying man and I said me too.
Met a dead man and I said me too. Must be
dead cuz the living can’t meet the dead and he
said me too. Did you know the dead can fall
in love he said. Fact. Did you know the dead
fall in love better than the living cuz nothing
left to lose. The root of all blues. Skeptical still
I strode onward in my seven-league boots as in
the fairy tale “Hop-o’-My-Thumb” from a book
of German fairy tales given to me when I had
chicken pox. Scratching myself bloody, the ogre
gored to death by wild beasts. Seven leagues per
stride toward a dead banjo player in a bad
mood. Enchanteur. Or zauberhaft in German.
Part-By-Part Analysis:
“I met a man a dying man and I said me too.
Met a dead man and I said me too. Must be
dead cuz the living can’t meet the dead and he
said me too.”
The author encounters a dying/dead man and speaks about her ability to relate to him. I want to say this is a possible nod towards mental health, especially the relationship between exhaustion and depression. I feel neutral about the start of the poem, it is an interesting beginning, but the author is vague about her topic.
You don’t really know if dying for her is part of the poem in the sense that she has a deep understanding of the concept. I don’t want to assume that she has a connection to the topic on a personal level but her relation to the dying man could also point to that.
“Did you know the dead can fall
in love he said. Fact. Did you know the dead
fall in love better than the living cuz nothing
left to lose. The root of all blues.”
The Author takes a backseat here, quoting the dying man rather than speaking on her own thoughts, opinions or feelings. It is almost as if the character of the dying man is meant to represent a kind of authority or guide to the author and readers. He is absolutely sure of the validity behind his words as the only visible expert on the subject. The dying man is the only character with a clear foothold on both sides of the discussion of the world of the living and dead. Because he is still alive he can tell the audience what death is like, but he is dying, and possibly in the delirium of that he can see a version of what death will be like for him.
When he discusses love and falling in love, it is from the perspective of someone who is not bound by the constraints of life. He is not running out of time to fall in love, nor is he worried about being unable to find it. For a person who is currently alive, their views on falling in love may come from a less content view. Life itself is something described as delicate and quickly waning, therefore a person who is alive is constantly worrying about the things they will not be able to accomplish by the end of their term. theoretically, the man is right in saying that he has nothing to lose as a dead man in love, the only apparent drawback for him seems to be waiting for his partner in the afterlife. This verse also speaks on the concept of death in music. The term used in particular refers to a genre of melancholy music that usually paints darker portraits of life in harmony with slow jazz-style tunes. The term Blues also refers to melancholy, depression, or sadness; bringing us back to the concept of death in the figurative sense (mental health).
“Skeptical still
I strode onward in my seven-league boots as in
the fairy tale “Hop-o’-My-Thumb” from a book
of German fairy tales given to me when I had
chicken pox. Scratching myself bloody, the ogre
gored to death by wild beasts.”
The author admits that she has her own possibly differing opinions on the topic of death. Instead of explaining them, however, she changes the setting of the poem. Suddenly readers are transported to a vision of the author's childhood complete with a memory of the chicken pocks and themes of familial care. Readers see the concept of death tied to literature and sicknesses here as she takes time to reminisce.
“Seven leagues per
stride toward a dead banjo player in a bad
mood. Enchanteur. Or zauberhaft in German.”
The author makes yet another reference to death in music by adding in a last-minute character. The dead banjo player could possibly represent death in terms of the end of an era. The banjo is usually played in folk music. It is a wonderful representation of the thin line between life and death because of its appeal to both young and old audiences.
Writing Style:
I think this particular poem is too vague, there are too many factors to guess about while following the story. This being said, it is easy to read and there is a clear focus on a good general list of topics. The wording of the work is also easy to understand, which gives the author the benefit of a larger audience. She will be able to groups of people who are otherwise discouraged by unrhymed poetry and the intricacies of the genre.
Her focus on death is interesting as it does not seem to be out of morbid fantasy, but rather the want to understand and study the topic further. While this may not appeal to some readers of poetry, I think this work and others like it would really benefit people attempting to better their personal views when it comes to death.
Themes:
Death
Music
Family connections
Art
Sickness
Time, the past, and the present
More About The Author: Diane Seuss
More poems by Diane Seuss:
Backyard Song
[Intimacy unhinged, unpaddocked me]
[It is abominable, unquenchable by touch]
Song in my heart
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