Marie Howe's Essay 'What The Living Do'

In her poem "What the Living Do," Marie Howe writes an elegiac description of loss, and of living beyond loss. She is saying that we spend so much of our lives obsessed with minute details such as “remembering to call the plumber, trying to fix the central heating or driving” that we often forget how magical it is simply to be alive. We spend our time rushing around from one errand to the next, one list of things to do to another that we forget to see the world we live in, we forget to enjoy the little things. Often, remembering someone we loved who has died, reminds us how precious life is.

Although the magnitude of death is almost overwhelming, and the structure of the poetry is loose, this poem presents a vivid picture of the pain and uncertainty faced when death approaches, and the absolute importance of appreciating life while it is lived. Howe addresses this poem to Johnny, who did the opposite. He stopped parking the car and slamming the car door shut in the cold, he stopped living. The speaker says this is “What you finally gave up.” He gave up all of the small, meaningless tasks we have to do every day. But he also gave up on the small moments of clarity we sometimes have. …show more content…
I remember you.” She continues on despite her hurt and loss and longing, and she finds “a cherishing so deep” for the reality of her life. Because, “This is it.” This is life. What the living must do is what the speaker finally does, she finds a way to appreciate her life. She doesn’t give