"Heritage" by James Still

The description in the first stanza of the poem is rather unorthodox. Still describes the land in a distinctly action-oriented style, using verbs such as "drown" and "burns" to add a sense of life to the land. I find this interesting because from its description, the land does not seem enticing or enjoyable at all. Without the sense of life in his phrases, it would seem dead and desolate. With it, the land seems more sad, lonely, and forgotten. That living character allows me to connect with the land the way the author obviously does.

The second stanza further works to elaborate on the life of this homeland by shifting focus to its inhabitants. The animals and people occupy this land with perhaps less drear and sadness than the land itself until the line "And one with death rising to bloom again, I cannot go." At this point, the author's somewhat melancholy theme solidifies itself—people hold a deep connection, an attachment, to their homelands that never leaves their spirits. The line concerning death means, to me, that even as the animals and people the author has known die and disappear from his homeland, that it is still his home. It is a vital part of his being and can never leave him.