poetry

Loss is a part of life every individual has to face, whether it be a devastating loss, such as the death of a relative or the loss of something that has become so familiar, conceivably a relationship of a friend. Both of the following poems, ‘One Flesh’ by Elizabeth Jennings and ‘On My First Son’ portray a loss felt by each poet, in which they describe the emotions and emptiness they see when these losses occur.
‘One Flesh’ explores the relationship of an elderly couple and how it has developed over time. The image the title of the poem creates is one of togetherness, nonetheless in the first stanza Jennings describes the physical separation of a couple. ‘Lying apart now, each in a separate bed’ suggests that these people once shared the place that they sleep but they are now alone at night-time. The following lines: ‘He with a book, keeping the light on late, She like a girl dreaming of childhood,’ explore what each person does as they lie apart. The man intends to read a book while the woman is musing of her childhood, as well as pondering on men, suggested by the phrase ‘All men elsewhere’. The poet continues ‘As if they wait, Some new event,’ creating the idea that they are both waiting for something to happen, but instead are unmoving and empty; the man staring at his book and the woman staring at the shadows. The couple Jennings portrays seem mentally as well as physically distant.

In the second stanza, the poet remarks on the lack of affection and physical intimacy between the two. She writes: ‘They hardly ever touch, Or if they do, it is like a confession, Of having little feeling - or too much.’ These lines propose that any affection that might occur between them is just a reminder of how unemotional they both have bec...

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...line means that it could either be a command or a prediction. It is clear at the end that Jonson is encouraging himself not to ‘like’ the people he loved ‘too much’. This is portrayed in the line: ‘As what he loves may never like too much.’ This may be because he does not want to experience the grief he has felt for his son ever again.
Both, ‘One Flesh’ by Elizabeth Jennings and ‘On My First Son’ by Ben Jonson, portray the loss of something in each of their lives. Elizabeth Jennings portrays the scene of her parents’ bedroom and the feelings they both ponder as their relationship has gradually lost its passion as they have grown older. Whereas, Jonson writes about the loss of his son, the grief he feels as well as speaking to his son through the poem. Writing these poems may have given the poets a way to release the grief and emotions they felt towards the losses.