Things to Say to a Dead Man - Poems at the End of a Marriage and After

Sep 28, 2026

A poetry collection by Jane Yolen exploring grief through poems that speak to a dying and a dead man, followed by a sequence of reflections across the first year and beyond. The book moves from hospital and coma imagery into remembrance after death, then widens to the continuing aftermath—mourning, resignation, anniversaries, and consoling voices. Contents present thematic sections for the dying, the dead, first-year milestones, and “And After,” shaping a structured emotional journey.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages76

Reading Time1 h 57 min

AccessFree to download

Praise for Jane Yolen

Poems at the End of a Marriage and After

I. The Dying

Things to Say to a Dying Man

Parts of Speech

Hospital Bed

Smells

Oxygen

Two Singers Sing Away the

The Good Wife

Sitting Down to Ea

Coma

I. The Dead Man

After He Died

Sorry for Your Loss

Single Malt

Coming into Tow

Rain

Five Breaths

How Am I Doing,Really?

Things to Say to a Grieving Woman

I. First Year

Two Months Later

Second Time Around

Sunday Trip to London

I Have Not Forgotten

First Fall

First Frost

Gone to Ground

Christmas Bird Count Night:2006

Wading Back

Chinese Proverb Sent by Worried Friend

AMatter of Fact

You in the House: A Holiday Lamen

Taking Your Clothes to the Salvation Arm

The Bull

Journey

David Moments

Anniversary of Your Death

IV. And After

The Garden in Apri

The Stone

Neglect

Grief Is Not

Goodbye Billy Goat Gruff

Cemetery in the Snow

Resignation

Third Yahrzeit

This Is the Morning After His Death:A Triole

Things to Say to a Widow

Fifth Year Anniversary

Acknowledgment

Brds of Prey sto Say0)(7Dead ManJane Yolen Poems at the End of a Marriageand After SIBLEY BIRD% ( 811.54 YolYolen,Jane. Things to say to a dead man:3008003543799115.95MRCPL OCT 262011 # Praise for Jane Yolen “Things to Say to a Dead Man is a stunning book.What JaneYolen offers the reader is nothing but the truth:this is whatgrief looks like,sounds like,smells,like,feels like.Only onewho has loved so deeply can mourn this profoundly.Finelycrafted and full of gorgeous imagery,every single word is anarrow that pierces the heart.” —Leslea Newman,Poet Laureate of Northampton,MA 2008-2010,author of Nobody's Mother "If a life is measured by what is left behind,then these raw,honest and accomplished poems are a defining tribute to ahusband treasured far beyond words.These are poems thatcome from a fathomless hole in the heart,and they tell notonly of unimaginable sorrow,but of a long and remarkablemarriage,built on the pleasures of love,on felicity to family,onlaughter—and on birdsong.Jane Yolen is right when she saysthat‘no one can tell a griever how to grieve,'but this book willbe welcome and wise company to those who suffer the loss ofsomeone deeply cherished.” —Patricia Lee Lewis,author of High Lonesome Poetry Books by Jane Yolen Among Angels(with Nancy Willard;Harcourt,1995) The Radiation Sonnets:For My Love in Sickness and in Health(Algonquin,2003) hngs to Sayt0 aDead Man # Poems at the End of a Marriageand After Jane Yolen Text C Copyright 2011 byJane Yolen. Author and cover photographs,binocular image C2011 byJason Stemple. All rights reserved.No part of this book may be used or reproduced in anymanner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of briefquotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First printing,2011 ISBN 978-09833254-0-6 10987654321 # Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Yolen,Jane. Things to say to a dead man:poems at the end of a marriage and after/by Jane Yolen. p.cm. ISBN 978-0-9833254-0-6(alk.paper) I.Title. PS3575.043T432011811'.54—dc222011011302 This project is supported in part by grant awards from the Ben andJeanne Overman Charitable Trust,the Elmer L.and Eleanor J.AndersenFoundation,the Cy and Paula DeCosse Fund of the MinneapolisFoundation,and by gifts from individual donors. Holy Cow!Press books are distributed to the trade by Consortium BookSales &Distribution,c/o Perseus Distribution,1094 Flex Drive,Jackson,TN 38301. For inquiries,please write to:Holy Cow!Press,Post Office Box 3170,Mount Royal Station,Duluth,MN 55803.www.holycowpress.org ! To the Memory of David W.Stemple and bis gallant five-year battle with cancer:. With special thanks to my three children and their spouses who helped methrough the last plus five years.To Corinne Demas,Zane Kotker,and LesleaNewman who heard a number of these poems and pushed for revisions,even past the pain.To Bud Webster for his enthusiasm.And to ElizabethHarding who never gives up. ! Contents Author's Preface………………………………… ……………………………………………ix I. The Dying Things to Say to a Dying Man…………………………………………………………… Parts of Speech………………………………… …………………………………………4 Hospital Bed………………………………………………… ……………………………………………6 Smells…………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………7 Oxygen………………………………………… ……………………………………………………8 Two Singers Sing Away the let………………………………………………9 The Good Wife…………… ……………………………………………10 Sitting Down to Ea…………………………………… …………………………………………………11 Coma……………………………… …………………………………………………12 I. The Dead Man After He Died………………………………………… ………………………………………………15 Sorry for Your Loss …………………………………… ……………………………………………16 Single Malt………………………………………… ……………………………………………18 …………………………………19 Coming into Tow……………………………… ……………………………………………20 Rain………………………………………………………………… …………………………………21 Five Breaths………………………………………… ………………………………………………22 How Am I Doing,Really?……………… …………………………………………………23 Things to Say to a Grieving

FAQs

What is the central focus of Things to Say to a Dead Man?

The book centers on grief expressed through poems addressed to a dying man, a dead man, and those left behind. It also traces the long continuation of mourning after death.

How is the collection organized?

The table of contents divides the poems into sections including “The Dying,” “The Dead Man,” “First Year,” and “And After.” This structure marks the progression from illness to ongoing aftermath.

Who is the author of the collection?

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Riley West