"Stop All the Clocks"

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.



With these words, W.H. Auden began one of his most prolific poems about death. It was with the death of a very dear person to him that he attempts to control and yet shun his emotions about the passing of this person. I look at life now as a journey and unfortunately death is included in this. I look upon death in such a finite manner now having experienced it so many times. As a child my first encounter with death came at my Aunt Elsie's. I only knew of what the "Good Book" told me that all good persons would go to Heaven and those that weren't went to Hell. I always hoped that when my time came, I would go to Heaven. And yet, I can recall also remember our first pet dog-"Duke" having to be taken away by the Humane Society. It wasn't till much later I understood that he had distemper and would have to be "put to sleep". Such a lovely and enticing term for an animal. How totally incongruous to be labeled that way. For such an act of total permanence, to be referred to in a non destructive manner. One that would belie that total infinite act; one that would enable us to think, "Hey, this is just for a little while". For when we "sleep", isn't it just for a little while? We'll soon awake and ready to get on with our lives like nothing has happened.

But, with Dancer, it's not that way at all. And while this path on his journey was enabled 8 days ago, his "sleep" period will be forever. Damn, I hate the permanence of this. I want him back.