After the Fall: Poems Old and New by Edward Field

Summary

'After the Fall: Poems Old and New' by Edward Field is a comprehensive collection that encapsulates decades of Field’s poignant, accessible poetry. Field weaves vulnerability, humor, and humility into meditations on survival, love, loss, and the extraordinary elements of everyday life. His voice, straightforward yet profound, invites readers to confront trauma and resilience, particularly through the lens of his experiences as a gay man and a World War II veteran. This collection is both a personal chronicle and a universal exploration of what it means to live and endure in the modern world.

Life-Changing Lessons

1. Embracing vulnerability and acknowledging past trauma can lead to personal healing and growth.

2. Finding humor and hope in bleak circumstances provides resilience in the face of adversity.

3. Authentically expressing one’s identity, even against societal pressures, is vital for self-acceptance and connection.

Publishing year and rating

The book was published in: 2010

AI Rating (from 0 to 100): 90

Practical Examples

1. A poem about surviving war

   In his recounting of World War II bomber missions, Field does not shy away from the terror and psychological aftermath of combat. He uses spare, direct language to evoke the chaos in the air and the lasting emotional scars. The poem serves to illustrate how trauma lingers, but also how it can eventually be absorbed into one's sense of self.

2. A meditation on coming out

   Field reflects on his life as a gay man, touching on the isolation and fear that can accompany coming out. The poem combines vulnerability with wry humor, demonstrating how embracing one’s identity, despite prejudice, leads to an authentic and fuller life.

3. Humanizing Houdini

   In his poems about Houdini, Field merges myth and reality to show the magician’s struggles and triumphs. He uses Houdini’s escapes as metaphors for overcoming personal adversity, illustrating the ways in which everyone longs to break free from their own constraints.

4. Reclaiming ordinary life after tragedy

   Several poems deal with returning to normalcy after loss, including Field’s experiences with grief. He explores the slow, uneven process of regaining joy and meaning, emphasizing small, everyday victories and connections.

5. The resilience of love

   Field writes candidly about love—romantic, platonic, and familial—charting both its joys and heartbreaks. His poetry often finds hope even in failed relationships, suggesting that the act of loving transforms and strengthens us.

6. Discovering humor in aging

   Field uses wit and irony to address the realities of growing old. Rather than lamenting decline, he finds absurdity and freedom in age, encouraging readers to approach mortality with a lighter heart.

7. Interrogating masculinity

   In poems that grapple with traditional male roles and expectations, Field questions what it means to be a man. These works invite readers to think critically about inherited norms and to seek their own authentic paths.