(Long Limb by Andrew Wyeth, 1917-2009, American
artist)
THE MOWER
The mower stalled, twice; kneeling, I found
A hedgehog jammed up against the blades,
Killed. It had been in the long grass.
I had seen it before, and even fed it, once.
Now I had mauled its unobtrusive world
Unmendably. Burial was no help:
Next morning I got up and it did not.
The first day after a death, the new absence
Is always the same; we should be careful
Of each other, we should be kind
While there is still time.
~ Philip Larkin (1922-1985), English poet, novelist, and jazz critic
Maria,
ReplyDeleteI did not know this poem, nor have I seen the Wyeth painting that complements the poem with a field. The poem is lovely, though sad, and the reader can feel the poet's grief. How true is the ending.