Eyes Fastened with Pins by Charles Simic

Eyes Fastened with Pins
By: Charles Siminc

How much death works,
No one knows what a long
Day he puts in. The little
Wife always alone
Ironing deaths laundry.
The beautiful daughters
Setting death's supper table.
The Neighbors playing
Pinochle in the backyard
Or just sitting in the steps
Drinking beer. Death,
Meanwhile, in a strange
Part of town looking for
someone with a bad cough,
But the address somehow wrong,
Even death can't figure it out
among all the locked doors...
And the rain beginning to fall.
Long windy night ahead.
Death with not even a newspaper
To cover his head, not even
A dime to call the one pining away,
Undressing slowly, sleepily,
And stretching naked
On death's side of the bed.


I love this poem, although grim, it is still well written. The poet personifies death, giving it personal characteristics, giving it life. The poem proceeds to go through the life of death, from misfortunes to bad luck with weather. It gives us the illusion that even death is apart of our daily lives. It is with us at work, at home, on our way home it is all around us. It is a natural part of our lives, "undressing slowly, sleepily, and stretching naked on death's side of the bed" is a great line from this poem. It is ironic how death is giving life in this poem, it is given emotions and a "normal" life as well perceive it to be. The poet is almost trying to make us more familiar and unafraid of death.