Death Poems: Exploring the Anguished Cries from Hearts Left Bereft

Death poems don't heal our grief or even conceal our sorrow – but they can open a door to expression, honesty, and relief from the dark, growing gloom trapped within us. We all wish to be understood in our moments of pain, and the written word offers us a voice, placing before us fresh ink and a blank page to express how we feel. Even if nobody reads the poem you have poured out into existence from your deepest self, it’s still there and it co-exists with you. That makes your words real, recognised, and valid.

Poetry is empowerment.

Why Death Poems Remain Widely Appreciated

The mention of death evokes deep emotions in people, such as fear, grief, or even a sense of peace. It is no wonder, then, that it is such an important theme throughout all art forms. As history shows us, paintings, music, literature, and poetry have all often centred around death since humans could first express themselves. Below, we take a look at three famous poems that explore this theme from very different angles.

Dudley Randall: Ballad of Birmingham

Dudley Randall was an African American poet, publisher, and editor born in 1914. He founded Broadside Press, which then became the most important Black press in America, and his poems often centred around the difficult 1960s era in American history. “Ballad of Birmingham” is one of Randall’s most famous poems, written in response to a bombing of a church in 1963. The predominantly black congregation was targeted by a white supremacist group, and four young girls were killed. The poem explores an exchange between a mother and her daughter, who asks to attend a “Freedom March”. The mother, aware of the current political climate, tells her daughter she may not go. She goes on to convince her child to go to church instead, to sing in the children’s choir. When the explosion happens, the mother races to find her child, as detailed in the last stanza:

“She clawed through bits of glass and brick,
Then lifted out a shoe.
‘O, here’s the shoe my baby wore,
But, baby, where are you?’”

Randall wrote about this tragedy to explore the deep impact of racial hatred, and how, not even in their most familiar environments, could oppressed minorities ever feel safe. This piece was not only a significant statement, but a recognition of the grief and struggle of those who had lost their lives during this period.

Antjie Krog: Country of Grief and Grace

“Country of Grief and Grace” is a poem written by South African journalist and poet, Antjie Krog. The poem is an exploration of the deep wounding South Africa received as a result of apartheid. Krog, born in 1952 on a farm in the Free State province, grew up in the apartheid era and went on to focus much of her work on the issue. “Country of Grief and Grace” offers an interesting insight into grief – both personal and on a larger scale, extending into every South African household. Krog writes:

“the price of this country of death
is the size of a heart

grief comes so lonely
as the voices of the anguished drown on the wind”

Krog’s poem is a reminder of the past and a sense of mourning the country must now forever carry, as well as hope for a future where healing begins.

Ariyo Ahmad: Where Grief Begins

Ariyo Ahmad is an up-and-coming poet from Ogun State in Nigeria. He has several published works and is a poetry editor for an online literary magazine. Ahmad’s poem, “Where Grief Begins” is a heart-wrenching piece about the death of a father. The poem has strong religious themes, and the narrator continually questions the unfairness of life with lines such as, “Tell me, am I not too juvenile to sacrifice a father at the age of Eleven?”. In his closing lines, the narrator again speaks of how much grief he has had to endure during his young life:

“…My heart is a grieving sea, screaming of pain,
God knows I am younger than my grief and I know it too
& this is where grief begins to unfold.”

The writers above show us the power of death poems – that they are often jarring, and shocking, and leave a deep impact on those who read them. If you would like to explore more poetry from local poets under this theme, take a look at our library here.