I divested myself of despair
and fear when I came here.

Now there is no more catching
one’s own eye in the mirror,

there are no bad books, no plastic,
no insurance premiums, and of course

no illness. Contrition
does not exist, nor gnashing

of teeth. No one howls as the first
clod of earth hits the casket.

The poor we no longer have with us.
Our calm hearts strike only the hour,

and God, as promised, proves
to be mercy clothed in light.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Jane Kenyon's poem Notes from the Other Side

1 Comment

  1. Tish Pannell says:

    I think this was a great poem, it was very easy for me to understand what she was talking about. The only problem I have right now is analysing it. Poetry is not something I read often, so analysing is hard. Other than that the poem was great.

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