In the Park

Kumin’s “In the Park” is a free verse poem that consists of four stanzas of varying lines, with each stanza ranging from four to 10 lines long. Written in a fluid poetic style, in which some lines extend to the edge of the page (Line 12, for instance) and others are short and brief (as is the case with Line 16), “In the Park” also uses two instances of end rhyme to conclude two of the stanzas. These formal elements add structure to an otherwise structureless poem and represent moments of finality, which directly plays into Kumin’s overarching theme of death and dying.

Written in a variety of perspectives, “In the Park” begins with the second person point of view. The speaker makes a statement about the “You” (Line 1), speaking directly to the reader of the poem, telling you how many days you have between “death and rebirth” (Line 2). By opening the poem in this way, Kumin establishes this statement as fact, which she proves and illustrates throughout the rest of the poem. Kumin’s choice to use the example of Buddhism rather than another religion highlights the concept of rebirth or a return to life, themes that recur throughout the poem and are prominent tenants of the eastern religion.

There is a sense of mystery that permeates Kumin’s poem. Represented by the mystery following death, Kumin spends Stanza 1 musing on what one could do during the 49 days between one’s death and one’s return to life. As Kumin’s speaker states, “you won’t know till you get there which to do” (Line 8), indicating how unknown the afterlife is for all. Written in the second person point of view, the first stanza places the reader at the center of the drama, a poetic tactic that is very intimate and can sometimes feel unnerving.

In Stanza 2, Kumin switches to the third person point of view, introducing a “He” (Line 9), which refers to the bear who laid on “Roscoe Black, who lived to tell / about his skirmish with a grizzly bear” (Lines 10-11). Through italics, Kumin sets Black’s voice off from the speaker’s, citing lines that Black spoke following his near-death experience with the bear in Glacier Park. Kumin uses Black’s experience as an example of that moment between life and death—and life again. The speaker returns to their original statement about the Buddhist’s belief in Lines 15-16, illustrating that for the moment that the bear “laid on [Black]” (Line 12), “all forty-nine days flew by” (Line 16). These lines indicate Black’s almost certain death followed by his sudden return to life.

Kumin’s “In the Park” is a winding poem that doesn’t remain with one subject or point of view for long. Stanza 3 switches to the first-person point of view, in which the speaker makes their first appearance in the poem: “I was raised on the Old Testament” (Line 17). A surprising statement to the statement that opened the poem about Buddhism, the speaker admits to being raised non-Buddhist. They also admit to the ways of the Old Testament, in which Heaven and earth—life and death—were more connected: “People confer with angels. Certain / animals converse with humans” (Lines 20-21). In this stanza, Kumin’s speaker illustrates how death wasn’t as frightening back then because, after all, it was a world “full of crossovers” (Line 22). The dead weren’t really dead but could still be talked to and even visited.

The final stanza concludes with a return to the present day and the fears that surround death today. Kumin’s speaker consoles the reader in the final lines, indicating that regardless of what one believes (“atheist and zealot” [Line 29]), “When the grizzly bear appears” (Line 28) one must accept their fate. The bear, as illustrated in Stanza 2, represents death—and a miraculous return to life. While no one knows what they will come back as, all life goes through the process of death, dying, and rebirth. As Kumin’s speaker concludes: “each of us waits for him in Glacier Park” (Line 30).