Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Donald Justice's poem "For the Suicides of Two Years Ago" is a haunting elegy that reflects on the tragic deaths of those who took their own lives. Through evocative imagery and poignant language, Justice explores themes of memory, loss, and the ineffable nature of suicide. The poem grapples with the enduring questions and emotions left in the wake of such profound and irrevocable decisions.

The opening lines, "If we recall your voices as softer now, it's only that they must have drifted back / a long way to have reached us here," suggest a temporal and emotional distance. The voices of the deceased have faded with time, carried back on a metaphorical wind that crosses "the high passes." This imagery evokes a sense of remoteness and the inevitable fading of memories.

Justice then delves into the specific memories of the deceased: "Nor does the blue of your eyes (remembered) cast much light on the page ripped from the tablet." The remembered features, such as the blue of their eyes, offer little illumination or understanding of their actions. The "page ripped from the tablet" symbolizes a life abruptly and incomprehensibly cut short.

The poem's tone shifts to a more direct and accusatory reflection: "What you meant to prove you have proved: we did not care for you nearly enough." This stark acknowledgment of neglect or perceived indifference underscores the societal and personal failures that may have contributed to the suicides. The bay, described as "preparing herself to receive you," personifies nature as a silent, accepting witness to the tragedy.

Justice continues with powerful imagery: "under your care the pistol was learning to flower at last / in the desired explosion." The pistol, an instrument of death, is depicted as blossoming under the care of the deceased, highlighting the fatal finality of their intentions. The "desired explosion" disrupts a momentary recovery, symbolized by the "careful part and the briefly recovered / fixed smile of a forgotten triumph."

The poem then delves into the metaphorical landscape of the suicides' psyche: "deep within the black forest of childhood that tree / was already rising which, with the length of your body, would cast the double shadow." This imagery suggests that the roots of their despair and the inevitability of their actions were planted long ago, growing alongside them and ultimately casting a shadow over their lives and deaths.

Justice reflects on the impenetrable nature of their final act: "Once there in the labyrinth, you were safe from your reasons. / We stand, now, at the threshold, peering in, but the passage, for us, remains obscure; the corridors are still bloody." The labyrinth represents the complex, often incomprehensible internal world of the suicidal mind, where they find a perverse form of safety. Those left behind can only stand at the entrance, unable to fully understand or navigate the bloody corridors.

The poem further contemplates the stripping away of identity and facade: "The masks by which we knew you have been torn from you. Even those mirrors, to which always / you must have turned to confide, cannot have recognized you, stripped, as you were, finally." The act of suicide removes the masks and pretenses, leaving behind an unrecognizable truth. The mirrors, symbols of self-reflection and identity, fail to recognize the stripped-down reality of their final moments.

Justice introduces a haunting image of the shadow self: "At the end of your shadow there sat another, waiting, whose back was always to us." This shadow self represents an unseen, perhaps darker aspect of their identity, always turned away from those who cared for them. The poem concludes with a chilling finality: "When the last door had been closed you watched, inwardly raging, for the first glimpse of your selves approaching, jangling their keys. Musicians of the dark keys, at last you composed yourselves. We hear the music raging under the lids we have closed."

In these closing lines, Justice portrays the final moments as a confrontation with their multiple selves, the "musicians of the dark keys," who finally find a grim resolution. The music, a metaphor for their inner turmoil and ultimate peace, continues to rage even after death, heard by those left behind who have closed their eyes to the painful reality.

"For the Suicides of Two Years Ago" by Donald Justice is a profound and moving exploration of the complexities of suicide, memory, and the human condition. Through his masterful use of imagery and reflective tone, Justice invites readers to grapple with the lingering questions and emotions surrounding such tragic losses. The poem serves as both a tribute to the deceased and a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggle to understand and prevent such acts of despair.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...