“She do the bereaved in different voices”
December 10, 2020 2:17 PM   Subscribe

A Part Song is a poem by Denise Riley about the death of her son from cardiomyopathy in adulthood. Poet Ange Mlinko wrote an essay about Riley in the latest issue of the London Review of Books, which she discussed with Joanne O’Leary on the LRB podcast, in a conversation that ranged from Riley’s poetry to their personal experiences of losing loved ones. You can listen to Riley read A Part Song either in the first link or on the LRB podcast.
posted by Kattullus (3 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Whelp, calling my Mom as soon as I'm done crying
posted by EatTheWeek at 3:05 PM on December 10, 2020 [1 favorite]


Wow! That is absolutely stunning. Sparse but also bursting at the seams.
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 11:36 PM on December 10, 2020 [1 favorite]


"What is the first duty of a mother to a child?
At least to keep the wretched thing alive – Band
Of fierce cicadas, stop this shrilling."


It felt odd to have so little reaction/relation to this piece, as a bereaved mother. Other than the above line, something recognized because my cruel inner voice often throws it in my face. Certainly maybe some in the differences between losing a young child and an adult child, or different cultural or familial expressions of grief. As a poem, and a bearing of soul, this left me curiously unmoved but I'm willing to do some work that may be fruitful and growthful to further investigate why and how. I feel for the maligned (?) cicadas who, like the wood drake and heron, in another's words closer to my heart, are just living their lives, they "do not tax their lives with [thought] of grief.". The cicadas, birds, squirrels, rain ... Never fierce or shrilling to me. Rather enchoing the soothing lullabies I spent so many hospital hours murmuring.

Thank you for sharing this, regardless of my personal emotional reaction there's so much to think about and learn here.
posted by MustangMamaVE at 4:45 AM on December 11, 2020 [2 favorites]


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