Recently on my YouTube channel (@ThePracticalPoet), I have been doing a little “classical poetry verses modern day poetry challenge” to see if viewers prefer one style of poetry over another. I have really been enjoying delving into some classical poems, as I tend to gravitate more to the modern day versions. I wrote a blog post recently where I discussed the first challenge, along with some broad definitions of the different types of poetry including classical, modern, and ultra-modern in the form of insta poetry. The blog post can be located here: (https://thepracticalpoet.com/classical-poetry-versus-modern-day-poetry-challenge-1/).
One thing that I learned about myself is regardless of whether the poem was written one hundred years ago, or just last week, I am drawn to poems that rhyme, and I love poems that tell a story. Some of the classic poems that tell stories are Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven published in 1845, and Clement Clarke Moore’s “Twas the Night Before Christmas” published in 1823. Both of those poems are classics indeed, but yet I am drawn to them for their rhyming method and storytelling ability. This is no surprise, as I tend to write longer, storytelling poems that rhyme, so it makes sense that I am drawn to that same style, whether it is classical or modern.
This past week I delved into a poem by Emily Dickinson called Because I Could Not Stop for Death that was published posthumously in 1890. First of all, let’s talk about that amazing title! In this poem, a busy woman who is living her life is visited by a chariot with a carriage driver who is going to give her a ride. She doesn’t realize it at the time, but the chariot driver is personified Death, and he is escorting her to her final resting place as he takes her on a lovely carriage ride through the town where they pass school children playing at recess, and waves of grain blowing in the wind. Death is a very cordial and courteous carriage driver, and she feels very peaceful as he delivers her to her final resting place. In discussions about the poem, it was noted that Emily Dickinson had strong faith and Christian beliefs and did not fear the afterlife. However, a quote from Poets.Org makes me wonder otherwise. In a letter to Abiah Root, Dickinson once asked, “Does not Eternity appear dreadful to you . . . I often get thinking of it and it seems so dark to me that I almost wish there was no Eternity. To think that we must forever live and never cease to be. It seems as if Death which all so dread because it launches us upon an unknown world would be a relief to so endless a state of existence.” (Source: https://poets.org/poem/because-i-could-not-stop-death-479). This does not sound like someone who embraced the afterlife with much enthusiasm, but rather a little fear and trepidation.
The modern poem that I featured in that same poetry reading was an excerpt of the following poem from my latest book “Sow Seeds of Wisdom”. Whereas Emily Dickinson’s character was on her way to her death and presumably the afterlife, the character in this poem is already in the afterlife, and rather enjoying himself. In this modern day poem, while his family grieves, the deceased man is learning that he can keep an eye on them from afar, and even though he misses their physical presence as they miss his, he is able to keep up with their lives and all the happenings in their world. He sees his children graduate, his daughter takes on a suitor, and eventually gets married. On her wedding day, while she is missing her father walking her down the aisle, she senses her father’s presence in the church, and the two have a brief spiritual encounter. One theme of this poem is how life does go on, as the bride continues on toward her groom even though sensing that her father is near.
I hope you enjoy this modern day poem Gone From This World, and go check out the Emily Dickinson poem above. It really is a great piece of work and I enjoyed the visualization as the main character rode on toward her final resting place with such a courteous driver. One thing both poems have in common, even though written over 100 years apart, is that both characters were just living their lives and going about their days when death found them. We never know what tomorrow will bring, so a kind reminder to enjoy every day because we never know when that chariot might pull up to take us on a ride we weren’t expecting!
Gone From This World
A man awoke on a crisp spring day
And said good morning to his child.
He checked the weather forecast;
The day was clear and mild.
He gathered up his things
As if nothing was amiss.
He wished his wife a great day
And sealed it with a kiss.
He was crawling along in traffic
So he thought he’d take a chance
To catch up on some messages;
It would just be a quick glance.
The action was so small,
But the consequences great
As he drifted into the oncoming lane,
And that had sealed his fate.
He didn’t have on his seat belt.
Through the windshield he was hurled.
Suddenly, on that crisp spring day,
He was gone from this world.
Was this action meant to be,
Or was it just bad luck?
In either case, a tragic end,
As he collided with a truck.
The family was left reeling
And they could not stop the pain.
A few days later they said good-bye
Beneath the pouring rain.
Just this one little action…
A quick glance at the phone…
Took him from this world
And left his family all alone.
We hear about it every day
So many lives are lost
To shootings, car wrecks, tragedies,
It comes with such a cost.
And this cost is the greatest
To the loved ones left behind
Who search for peace and answers
They most likely will not find.
They raise their arms to Heaven
And they bellow at the sky.
They shout out their frustrations
As they yell and question why.
They ask for resolution
As their grief they must release.
They search for a solution
As they try to find some peace.
And in that other world
The man watches from afar.
He settles in the evening sky
And perches on a star.
He sees his family live out each night
And their evening routine.
He catches bedtime stories
And all the moments in between.
He sees them through the next month
And all throughout the years.
He sees his daughter go to prom,
Amid her mother’s fears.
He watches his children graduate
And walk across the stage.
He shakes his head in disbelief
That they are of this age.
He’s a spectator at the wedding
As he hovers near a pew.
His daughter comes down the aisle
In something borrowed, something blue.
He realizes that despite the dress
And the radiant, beaming smile,
His daughter is missing out on him
Walking her down the aisle.
He feels a shadow cross his heart,
For he has missed so much.
Although he’s kept up with their lives,
He’s missed their physical touch.
He sees the groom look down the aisle
With intent affection.
He knows his daughter feels him
As she turns in his direction.
It’s just a glance, but it is held
A few seconds too long,
As two different worlds align
With a connection that’s so strong.
His daughter knows her father is there
And that love will never part.
For even though he’s gone from this world,
He’ll always live in her heart.
Both father and daughter know
They’ll be reunited again someday.
But for now the bride looks toward her groom,
And continues on her way.
-K.A. Bloch-
