Seamus Heanney died today and that is sad.

Seamus Heaney died today. He was 74. I am affected by his death. I never knew him, and I will know him better after his death than I ever knew him while he lived. He was a writer. He did his digging with a pen. He is dead, after being born very Irish in April of 1939. Seamus Haney’s death is only as sad as any other person’s death. It is terribly sad.

Even as I read the news article about his death in the online USA Today page, I’m struck that somewhere there is a mother who lost her son, or a son who has lost a mother, and this did not make the news. It is mathematically impossible for every death to be mourned equally, it is unfair. There are many well meaning atheists, religious or otherwise inclined people who would make out like death is not so sad. They all have good arguments. There may even be truth to what they say, but death just makes me sad. I think that is sane. I understand that death is universal. Sure, and it universally sucks. Even Jesus cried when his friend died.

When someone dies, I always wish it would rain. I think the world should revolt and be miserable. I am always surprised when does not. Truly, I am. But no, the sun shines, and the wind rustles through the leaves of happy sapling trees. I think it is horrible unfair and unfeeling of the world to be so impassive, but then, it occurs to me that the natural world may be run by forces which are not juvenile. A cool sunny day is what is in order, or a fresh hot one. Perhaps death and life, and the weather are best left to their caretakers, and I can butt-out. What is fair is what happens. There is no way to know another possibility. I just think it sucks…but I’ve left the topic altogether now.

We may not be able to mourn all the dead fairly, but occasionally, we might be able to mourn a few aptly. It is fitting that Seamus’ death affects me, because his life affected me. His words changed my culture.  Seamus shared himself with us, who never knew him, and so the news of his death is carried to us for our sake that we will know to mourn him too.

I wonder how the execs at Faber & Faber feel. Faber & Faber has been his publisher for over 50 years, and this is very good advertisement. I hope they are sad for the loss, and happily sell more books. I hope they take some time to grieve the man. I hope we all send a toast his way tonight and a prayer (if you pray) for his family. I hope we read his poems, and find something good to show a friend…and if we really hated his poetry, we should hush up about it for a month or two. I hope we never leave the habit of seeing death as the terrifying sorrowful maddening peaceful enigma that it is, and that we always remember men as men, and worth a moment of mourning at their passing.