Death

The discussion on Tuesday, especially about Antigone, really had me thinking. Why was she so desperate to defy orders and give her brother a proper burial? Part of that stems from the time period. It is believed that placing a coin in the mouth of the dead was done so that they would be able to pay fare to Charon and cross the river Styx from the realm of the living to the underworld. Without this, and without a proper burial and the dignity and respect it brings, the dead would never be able to cross and would be stuck in a sort of limbo - great depiction here.

But similar ideas have popped up in other religions and cultures. The conclusion? It is in human nature to obsess about death, and because it is a certainty that we will never know what comes after, speculation will continue to run. Many ideas profess that there is a sense of self, the soul, that continues. I honestly have no idea what to think, but I admit it is a comforting thought, which is likely why a sense of respect for the dead is seen through so many cultures. In remembering where we came from and the past, we can get a better sense of the future.

I also thought I'd post a poem. I wrote it for another class, but it still touches on a lot of relevant subjects, like death, the underworld and all that good stuff. Happy Halloween!

The River

Violent tides of turn and tether

Toss the rocky craft ashore

Where heard within the pattered rain

Slivered thoughts resolve to reign and

Memories are swept away

Linger not, you shall not hear

The air of music lost

There lies the fall, descent of the mad

As unseen touch caress and snatch

Til nothing there remains

But here, reborn from shards and ash

The fledgling’s tremulous breath begets

That song of light, of music lost

Collapsing dusk will greet them here

As Death and his Lady eternal

They dance like windswept heather

In fields of gold and sage

Beneath the warm forgotten sun

Untouched by man’s remains