Ways of Talking
By Ha Jin
Ha Jin
Ways of Talking
We used to like talking about grief.
Our journals and letters were packed
with losses, complaints, and sorrows.
Even if there was no grief
we wouldn't stop lamenting
as though longing the charm
of a distressed face.
Then we couldn't help expressing grief.
So many things descended without warning;
labor wasted, loves lost, houses gone,
marriages broken, friends estranged,
ambitions worn away by immediate needs.
Words lined up in our throats
for a good whining.
Grief seemed like an endless river--
the only immortal flow of life.
After losing a land, and giving up a tongue,
we stopped talking of grief.
Smiles began to brighten our faces.
We laugh a lot, at our own mess.
Things become beautiful,
Even hailstones in the strawberry fields.
Interpritation of poem
In the first stanza, the author is talking about how the characters liked to be sad and full of grief and even if their was not much to be sad about.
The second stanza talks about how when sad things did happen it gave the characters a good excuse to complain and be sad.
The third stanza is talking about a big event that caused the characters grief and made them realize that they needed to let go of their grief and find happiness; to find beauty in the world.
Overall, this poem conveys a message to readers that they should not wallow in their grief and that they should find happiness.
grief
Hailstones in the strawberry fields
Things become beautiful.
Even hailstones in the strawberry fields.