Pulling at the Surface
Season 1.10: The world draws a line.
Between her infant fingers, The stones come loose With the dark soil, In easy twos and threes. Pulling at every earthly crease and fold She’ll not remember the box, To which all are bound, Being lowered beneath her. Nor will she recall the stillness. Or the pebbles she placed Into her mother’s patient hands, At his graveside. On the surface, Under her blackened nails, The world draws a line.
If you like it, share it!
Thank you so much for reading my work. It means a huge amount to me to have even 1 minute of your time, let alone the attention needed to read and understand these words. If you like what you see tell other people about it - it is the absolute best way to support me and my work and I would appreciate it hugely.
Read more from Season 1…
This is the first season of Notes and Noises. If you liked this (or didn’t) why not take a quick look at some of the other posts in the series:
Wonderful poetry David!
Wow. Just wow’
The poem encapsulates a poignant scene of a young child at a graveside, drawing a vivid image of innocence amidst the somber reality of death. The juxtaposition of the child's actions with the funeral rites creates a stark contrast that underscores the themes of memory, loss, and the passage of time.
"Between her infant fingers,
The stones come loose
With the dark soil,
In easy twos and threes."
The opening lines introduce the tactile imagery of a child playing with stones and soil, a simple yet profound action. The "infant fingers" emphasize innocence and the natural curiosity of a child, unaware of the gravity of the situation. The stones, coming loose "in easy twos and threes," suggest the effortless nature of her play, which stands in sharp contrast to the solemnity of the funeral.
"Pulling at every earthly crease and fold
She’ll not remember the box,
To which all are bound,
Being lowered beneath her."
These lines deepen the contrast between the child's innocence and the reality of death. The child's exploration of the "earthly crease and fold" symbolizes a search for understanding, yet she remains oblivious to the "box"—a euphemism for the coffin—being lowered into the grave. The phrase "to which all are bound" reflects the inevitability of death, a fate that the child cannot yet comprehend.
"Nor will she recall the stillness.
Or the pebbles she placed
Into her mother’s patient hands,
At his graveside."
Here, the poem touches on the fleeting nature of memory and the child's inability to grasp the finality of the moment. The "stillness" represents both the silence of death and the serene acceptance of those left behind. The act of placing pebbles into her mother's hands is a tender gesture, symbolizing the transfer of innocence and the silent communication of grief.
"On the surface,
Under her blackened nails,
The world draws a line."
The concluding lines evoke a powerful image of the child's dirty hands, signifying her connection to the earth and the tangible world. "The world draws a line" suggests a demarcation between life and death, innocence and experience. It implies a boundary that the child is just beginning to encounter, a line that she will one day cross but cannot yet fully understand.
Overall, the poem beautifully captures the intersection of innocence and loss, illustrating how a child perceives and interacts with the concept of death. The imagery of soil, stones, and the child's small hands emphasizes the natural cycle of life and the gradual understanding of mortality. The poem is a tender, melancholic reflection on the transient nature of life and the enduring impact of memory.
I am grateful for your words.