I Love this Poem

Not Waving but Drowning

Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.

Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he's dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.

Stevie Smith

 

Ever since my early 20's I loved this poem because it evokes to me the sad reality of miscommunication. So often we think we are understanding one another, but in reality we talk past each other with each individual receiving a message that was not sent and each sender thinking they have expressed themselves with clarity.

It is a tragic truth that many who are "too far out and drowning" are unable to get their "help" message through even to those close to them. It is so much easier to hear "everything's fine" than "I can't cope". 

In some ways that is the beauty of the poetic, it wraps the hard to hear, hard to take stuff, like a sledgehammer in featherdown. The message is clear, but not raw, even when stark.