"Elegy for My Father, Who Is Not Dead" by Andrew Hudgins

"He thinks that when I follow him hi'll wrap me in his arms and laugh, the way he did when I arrived on earth. I do not think he's right."

This poem is interesting. I think that the speaker elegizes his father if the father is "not dead" because the father is near death. I think this because of the fact that the speaker said that "He's ready." This means that his father is ready to die. Maybe the father is on his death bed, or maybe the father just is comfortable talking about "the world beyond this world." Who knows? Also, the speaker's view of immortality is different than his father's. This is because his father is ready to die and thinks that heaven is similar to a family reunion. However, the speaker is very adamant in his opinions that "he doesn't think so." Also, the central theme of the poem is that the speaker's father is ready to die and views the afterlife a certain way, but the speaker is afraid of death and is not ready to go yet. The tone of the poem is kind of cocky. The speaker believes that his thinking of the afterlife is the best way to view the issue. I also think that the poem is somewhat satirical. The author is making fun of the way his father views heaven, thinking that they will embrace like old times and say, "Welcome back."