The second poem is ‘Long Distance’, his still continues the portrayal of the broken relationship between Harrison and his father, but also shows how the father still lives without her and how he remembers her. The title, ‘Long Distance’, can be analyzed as a metaphor used to describe the mentally long distance between Harrison and his father following his mother’s death, or as the physical journey between Harrison and his father, as Harrison lives in America whilst his father lives in England. This poem also hints that the father is miserable, “Your bed’s got two wrong sides”. Here the poet uses the expression ‘getting out of the wrong side of the bed’ and by saying ‘two wrong sides’ he shows us that his father is a very miserable man, and is very lonely, we can see this from the following quote “can’t stand it no more, this empty house”. Due to Harrison moving away from his father he felt very guilty. His father had many health related problems, having had heart-attacks, cataracts and being diabetic, and attempts to pass the blame onto Harrison, “Them sweets you brought me, you can have ‘em back”, putting Harrison through a guilt trip. Harrison feels guilty about buying his diabetic father an inapt present of sweets that were “only brought rushing through JFK as a last thought”, with the strange name, “Lifesavers”, as sweets can kill victims of diabetes. The poem is divided into two parts and the last stanza of the first part also gives us evidence that the poet is traveling from America as JFK is a well known airport in the USA, which proposes that Harrison is continuing with his life, despite his mother’s death, but his father is unable to let go, emphasizing a difference in feelings, which links to the idea of ‘Book Ends’ by meaning of the poet. I believe that the father’s death may have occurred in ‘Long Distance’, between the two parts of the poem. I have made this clarification because the second part of the poem is written using past tense whilst commenting on the father. Harrison shows an understanding of his father when describing how his father developed a reality in his mind where the mother was still alive, “Dad kept her slippers warming by the gas”, and also knew that his father was embarrassed of this practice, “He’d put you off an hour to give him time to clear away her things and look alone”. By the end of the poem it is clear that the father is dead, “You haven’t both gone shopping”, as the father believed that the mother had just gone shopping and would return, Harrison applied the same logic to his father’s death. The poet makes similar actions by creating his own reality, in order to cope with the loss of his father, “in my new black leather phone book there’s your name and the disconnected number I still call”. This also links to the idea of ‘Book Ends’ by the mother’s definition, as both the poet and his father use similar methods to endure the loss of a loved one, therefore showing similarities in personality.
The last poem,‘Marked With D’, describes the cremation of his father, using words to with baking, which cause shock in the context that they are used. The subject of this poem is made clearer than in ‘Book Ends’ and ‘Long Distance’, which were concerned with the father and son relationship, as ‘Marked With D’ is more concerned with the death of the poet’s parents and the difference in beliefs. The title, ‘Marked With D’, is deduced form a nursery rhyme based on the subject of baking, which relates to Harrison’s father, being a baker himself. The poet uses shock language, such as, “chilled dough”, when referring to his father’s dead flesh, which create imagery of situations in a bakery but is really a metaphor for the different visions of his father’s cremation. The poet discusses the differences in his beliefs and that of his parents. Whilst the poet’s parents both believe in the afterlife, due to a religious belief, Harrison has atheistic views. Therefore in order to incorporate the conflicting theories, I believe the poet writes some lines with two meanings, “light streaming from his mouth to shape her name”, which could be classified as the light gleaming from the fire or as his father being able to speak to his wife again in Heaven. Their opposing beliefs links back to the idea of ‘Book Ends’ by the poet’s definition, as Harrison believed he was different to his father. The poet also repeats effective words, “sorry, sorry”, to emphasize his opinion. “I thought of his cataracts ablaze with Heaven”, this can be interpreted as the father being able to see again because in Heaven the spirits will be rid of any illnesses and disabilities, or it could be interpreted as Harrison’s link to religion through his father being destroyed. Terms such as “daily bread” have double meanings as the poet mentioned it in the context that it was edible, although it is also part of the Lord’s Prayer, including both the poet’s atheistic opinion and his parents’ religious beliefs
The poems also portray the relationship between the father and mother of the poet, which is not made as important as that between the father and the poet, but is still shown to be an important factor. In ‘Book Ends’ the poet visualises his father’s love for his dead mother with the strong language that is used to show sorrow and grief, and also by his father’s behaviour, “what the fuck to put”, “Shocked into sleeplessness”. In ‘Long Distance’ the poet shows his father being unable to cope with the loss of his wife and so creates a reality whereby the mother is going to return alive from the shops, which portrays the father’s “raw love” as he is unable to let go of his wife. In ‘Marked with D’ the poet shows that the only thing that mattered to his father upon death was being with his wife again in Heaven, “radiant with the sight of his dead wife”.
In conclusion the three poems show how three similar topics in common which are made distinct by the poet. These topics are the relationship between the poet and his father, the poet’s father’s love for his wife and his attitude to death. The poet and his father are shown to have many differences, religious beliefs amongst the many, but both show similarities in their methods of coping with the loss of a loved family member. Superficially it would seem that the poet has dealt with the subject of death in a way calculated to amuse or entertain. His startling imagery, for example “chilled dough of his flesh”, “ash (not unlike flour) for one small loaf”, might raise a smile. Other lines reveal the misfortune of their lives, for example “Though my mother was already two years dead Dad kept her slippers warming by the gas”. This line allows us to feel his father’s broken heart and his inability to come to terms with loss of his wife. Tony Harrison deals with the subject of religious beliefs in a decent manner. It is clear that his parents had conventional beliefs which the poet did not have. He is “sorry for his sake there’s no Heaven to reach” displays that Harrison’s parents had hope of entering heaven. The poet makes his absence of belief by using the following,” I get it all from Earth my daily bread.
