Believing In Life

“So and so wouldn’t have wanted you to be upset….” those words have echoed in the ears of many, appropriately dressed in black attire, and paying their dues to a loved one, or even just an acquaintance. Whatever the case, most people follow the norms created in their society, in the event that someone they know happens to die. Whether it is a celebration of their life, or a means of gathering together in order to support and help one another, people will find a way to agree on an accepted, appropriate way of burying the dead. The most common and universal idea, of course, is God.

The need for security and comfort is understandable when people begin to near death. The harsh reality of a once youthful and lively body decaying into nothing sounds quite unappealing, to say the least. The fact that the mind, once full of vivid ideas, thoughts and intelligence will one day deteriorate to a clump of bacteria beyond resemblance of anything it was once before, is hard to digest. It is in Man’s nature to question the metaphysical world around him. It is also in his nature to believe that there is someone always taking care of him. Since Man was a baby, he has held onto this belief and integrated it into his own children. He h

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Still, he doesn’t reveal the connection between these disappointments and God, (or lack of God, I should say) until he writes, “A grave disappointment all round/ Is all that you’ll get from th’Almighty/ Is all that you’ll get underground. He takes a sharp turn in the poem, and is really making fun of Man and his selfish ego more than he ever criticized God. He continues on with unpleasant circumstances, “A drawing-pin caught in your sock,” (LL2) all the way into his second stanza. Most likely… this is the exact appearance Fenton was trying to achieve for Him. It seems as if Fenton is saying, “Even though God doesn’t exist, if he did, you wouldn’t mean much to him.

The relationship between Man and God only worsens as Fenton writes, “But if you remind him, he’ll tell you:/ “I’m sorry, I must have been pissed- Though your name rings sort of a bell. We are all human, and we are all on this planet together. He not only laughs at the ironic, evil nature of Man’s interpretation of God, but he even scrutinizes him for inventing God. He is done pointing fingers, and has ended with death itself. People always say things like, “Hang in there, Kiddo,” and “Hey buddy, how’s it going Pal?” These phrases are superficial and seem to come from the most annoying, backstabbers disguised with a smile. It is also an attack on the people who shut down, or even injure those who question God’s existence. Whether we believe we will go to heaven or hell, Jehovah’s Paradise, have faith in the Yin and Yang or even be reincarnated as a turkey… is not of importance. We all have the same questions, and we will all at one time be faced with the inevitable…death. This line is the most devastating of all, and seems to be engraved in stone as it starts to sink in. Who calls God th’Almighty? The way he refers to him so sarcastically indicates that he will probably continue to do so in the lines to follow.

Approximate Word count = 2332
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)

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