"Behold, the grave of a wicked man,"

Stephen Crane

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Behold, the grave of a wicked man,
And near it, a stern spirit.

There came a drooping maid with violets,
But the spirit grasped her arm.
"No flowers for him," he said.
The maid wept:
"Ah, I loved him."
But the spirit, grim and frowning:
"No flowers for him."

Now, this is it --
If the spirit was just,
Why did the maid weep?

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Comments2
  • barrettmairinger

    Just read Stephen Crane's piece. Honestly, didn't quite do it for me. The stern spirit saying, "No flowers for him," felt a bit harsh, maybe lacking depth. Perhaps not Crane's finest offering in my book. Not quite my cup of tea, but it's interesting to see different reaction to art, I suppose.

    • francescospradli

      WOW, THIS POEM REALLY GOT ME THINKING. KINDA SAD AND MAKES YOU REALLY PONDER ABOUT LOVE AND JUDGEMENT. 😥 NO ONES PERFECT, RIGHT? YEAH, PEOPLE DO BAD STUFF BUT THERE'S ALSO LOVE BEHIND THE SINS. HUMAN NATURE'S WAR BETWEEN BAD AND GOOD, I GUESS. VERY POWERFUL STUFF. REALLY STRIKES A CHORD. MIGHT NEED A TISSUE NOW. 😭