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Of Mere Being

Dear Readers,

At school, I am currently in a Creative Writing class taught by our beloved G. Florence. We've read certain literature and put together parts of a literary magazine. Whilst going through all this art, Mr. Florence shared this poem entitled, "Of Mere Being," by Wallace Stevens:

The palm at the end of the mind,
Beyond the last thought, rises
In the bronze decor,

A gold-feathered bird
Sings in the palm, without human meaning,
Without human feeling, a foreign song.

You know then that it is not the reason
That makes us happy or unhappy.
The bird sings. Its feathers shine.

The palm stands on the edge of space.
The wind moves slowly in the branches.
The bird's fire-fangled feathers dangle down.


To know that Wallace Stevens made his living as a lawyer for a life insurance company. One interpretation of his poem may portray him as the gold-feathered bird. He sings inhuman language of law at the edge of the mind, or death in some respects. The inhuman song, sung unfailingly, could be his feeling about sharing life insurance laws to those who have lost loved ones. That is my take. What do you think?

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