Metaphors in “The Afterlife” by Maurya Simon

 

“The Afterlife” by Maurya Simon is an interesting poem that expresses the journey of a soul as it leaves and detaches from its physical body. The poem is filled with a lot of metaphors to describe this process, which makes sense given that the topic is about death. The opening line about a “hover-craft heavily straining against/ Gravity” creates a scene of a soul that is struggling to leave. It made me think about that “gravity” is also the problems that hold a soul to the body due to untied issues. I think this line also implies that letting go is not an easy thing to do. Overall, It is an interesting metaphor and definitely sets up a heavy tone for the poem.

Another interesting Metaphor is, “my soul floats upward from the swirl of sheets.” I think what the poet was getting at was that the soul is rising, but the swirl of sheets makes it difficult for the soul to leave entirely, because people need comfort, and people can be comforting. Moreover, something that this line from the poem signifies, is perhaps sleeping. This changes the metaphor of the poem slightly since it implies that the soul is only temporarily free while a person is dreaming.

Comments

  1. Kat ScheckOctober 27, 2024 at 9:51 AM

    I reflected on this poem as well. I agree with the idea of sheets being a comfort--and I hadn't really thought of that. I just saw the sheets as maybe the sheet over the dead body--the significance of that reality. Perceiving gravity as untied issues--this is also quite insightful. I don't think I let my mind really wander that deeply into this poem, or maybe I was just so focused on the ending metaphors. I connected to this poem more than any of the others. What drew you to it?

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