He Called

Near the door, under the square of light. Only a fly Landed on his lip. He tried to feel death. He dreamed a person Numbed in icy petroleum Burning, and in the nest of flames Becoming a huge cockroach – A thing That slowly raised a claw to point at him. He tried to feel life. He drew aside the curtain of a dead sparrow’s eye That could once lift the head off him, like a chloroform – It stared dull and worthless. He shouted As if mountains had spoken. As if he stood In the mountainous after-silence Hearing his voice crumble. The whole earth Had turned in its bed To the wall.

death free verse dark haunting

He Called - meaning Summary

A Cry Against Indifference

The poem presents a person confronting death, life, and the apparent indifference of the world. Images of a fly, a dead sparrow, fire, and a monstrous cockroach make his thoughts physical and frightening. He tries to test whether he can still feel, but neither death nor life offers reassurance. His shout seems vast, yet the final image suggests that the earth itself has turned away from him.

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