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Angiolina
“Poetry is the liberty of mankind that nobody can claim or remove"
Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep
Mary Elizabeth Frye
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight,
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.
I like this poem because the narrator, who is dead, is telling their loved ones to stay strong, and reminding them that they will always be beside them, no matter what. When someone dies they will always be in your heart. The poem reminds me that when someone dies, the dead person’s soul would rather that their loved ones stay happy and remember them in a joyful way, not just stand at their grave and cry. I particularly like the line, “I am a thousand winds that blow” because it gives a sense of being free and being able to travel everywhere which contrasts the idea of death being a fixed place with no contact to the living world.