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Adrian Rice: Breath
What is death,
but a letting go
of breath?
One of the last
things he did
was to blow up
the children’s balloons
for the birthday party,
joking and mock-cursing
as he struggled
to tie all
those futtery teats.
Then he flicked them
into the air
for the children
to fight over.
Some of them
survived the party,
and were still there,
after the funeral,
in every room of the house,
bobbing around
mockingly
in the least draft.
She thought about
murdering them
with her sharpest knife,
each loud pop
an angry bullet
from her heart.
Instead, in the quietness
that followed her
children’s sleep,
she patiently gathered
them all up,
slowly undoing
each raggedy nipple,
and, one by one, she took his
last breaths into her mouth.
What is life,
but a drawing in
of breath?
Copyright 2024 Adrian Rice
Adrian Rice is a Northern Irish poet living in Hickory, NC. He is a Senior Lecturer at Appalachian State University. His collections of poetry include The Strange Estate: New & Selected Poems, 1986–2017 (Press 53).
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Oh!
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That made me smile, Lisa!
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I love this, thank you! So quietly dynamic
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Thank you, Pascale. (Love your own work!)
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Thank you so much!
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Just lovely. So much wherewithal in so few words.
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Thanks, Matt.
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Cheers, Matthew x
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“Futtery teats”: perfect!
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Yes, every line is perfect.
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Big word back Home, John x
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Wow! LOVE this poem!! Made my day.
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I second Susan Read Cronin!
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Thanks, Laure-Anne x (Love your work!)
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Me too. Thanks, Susan.
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Cheers, Susan x
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What’s so skillful about this poem, is that we see it coming–the power in it–and it still, with that final stanza’s inversion, knocks us down. Bingo.
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Well said ineed
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Yes, bingo.
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Humbled, Bob – from one of go-to poets xo (And ‘Bingo’ is a staple back Home!)
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O.M.G.
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yes!
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Thanks, Rosemary xo
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Just a knockout, sir. Wonderful!
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Yes, isn’t the poem great?
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Thanks, Sydney xo
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The juxtaposition between the festive and tragic is so effective.
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Yes, the simultaneity of the poem demonstrates the theme of breath/death.
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Cheers, Robbi xo
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Such a beautiful narrative. (Carla Schwartz)
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I completely agree, Carla.
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Appreciate it, Carla xo
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How simple and painful – and right. The thing itself, or one of them. Thank you for posting this Michael
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Yes, the silly happy event of a child’s birthday contrasted with thoughts of death is striking.
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Thank you xo
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