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19 June: "The Farewell" by Edward Field

They say the ice will hold
so there I go,
forced to believe them by my act of trusting people,
stepping out on it, 

and naturally it gaps open
and I, forced to carry on coolly
by my act of being imperturbable,
slide erectly into the water wearing my captain's helmet,
waving to the shore with a sad smile,
"Goodbye my darlings, goodbye dear one,"
as the ice meets again over my head with a click.

1 comment:

  1. What the heck? It is kind of funny. The narrator is forced to do two things: trust people and stay calm. Is this why her smile is sad? She knew better, but she was forced to trust them? And now she cannot even panic or go crazy on her crew because she is forced to keep it cool.

    Or is this another example of a character refusing to take responsibility for his actions?

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