The Elusive Nature of Longing

The word "longing" makes a solitary appearance in "Our Side," tied to the freshly departed rather than the narrator. Yet, within that singular mention—"tenderness and longing lose direction"—the poignant pang of isolation that longing evokes in the narrator resonates profoundly. She's reaching out to the poem's subject, the recently deceased, yearning for an answer. It dawns on her that her cries disappear into an abyss, hence her realization that the longing has strayed off course. This one-sided yearning is unreciprocated. The departed no longer yearn; only the living cling to this unfulfilled desire on "our side."

The Persistent Theme of Yearning

Though the word "longing" finds no further voice in the poem, its spirit persists. There's "endless calling," the hallmark of souls aching for fulfillment. This longing is further echoed in the line, "and because we insist on the desire of the lost to remember us." Why insist that the departed hold onto memories of us? It speaks to a deep-seated nostalgia, a homesick longing to revert to the past when the departed walked among us. This phrase reveals another layer of longing—a yearning to be remembered, underscoring our own mortality as we confront the loss of a loved one.

Death, once a distant specter, now looms with stark clarity before those left behind. This longing encompasses a fierce will to live, a refusal to acknowledge personal mortality. Ironically, this feeling might also harbor a longing to join the departed, ensuring the recently passed will not forget those still breathing.

The enigma of death looms as an inescapable mystery. It beckons poets, philosophers, and anyone with a flight of fancy to ponder its meaning. Death serves as the unseen force that propels "Our Side." The speaker wrestles with the absence of a cherished soul, yearning to imagine the realm where their essence might reside. She strives to picture the activities that might occupy their spirit's time. Her heart aches with questions: has death extinguished the love they once shared? Do any of the emotions that intertwined their lives endure beyond this mortal coil?

Death takes shape in the form of a "great expanse of water" and the "vast canyons of the infinite." The "lost sailor" embarks from a "port," a "bright uneasy harbor where we never / completely set anchor." This metaphor highlights life as a precarious refuge where true anchorage is elusive. Death unveils to the speaker life’s ephemeral nature. It also finds representation in the "colored paper lanterns," emblematic of a Buddhist celebration honoring the departed.

"Our Side" delves into themes of death and mourning, yet its true strength emanates from the tender emotions simmering beneath the surface of its dramatic expression—a profound love unfolds. Without this profound affection, there would be no yearning, no "endless calling," and no grieving soul uttering the name of the departed. When the speaker yearns to be remembered by those newly departed, her desire transcends ego; it's not about being acknowledged for her own sake. She wishes for her love to be cherished and, most importantly, for the essence of that love to echo back to her.

Love, when unreciprocated, cuts like a double-edged sword. The speaker once had a beloved, but now stands alone, haunted by the void left behind. She ponders the distance between them now—how far has he wandered? Can his spirit still perceive her voice and presence? Does his affection linger? What becomes of the love that swells within her heart, yearning for release? These silent inquiries form the very core of the poem, running like an undercurrent beneath its...