"A Bush Burial" by McCubbin‘Pressed for Time’: A Poem by C.B. Anderson The Society May 12, 2025 Culture, Poetry 17 Comments . Pressed for Time Though life is good, it doesn’t last that long, And so we’re always left desiring more. Remember, though, you bought it for a song— Did you expect a grand eternal tour? We find we’re subject to a grave condition That challenges our hearts and tests our faith, Where all our vaunted powers of cognition Add up to useless shavings from a lathe. Our loved ones die, and surely so do we, Despite how much we’d like to linger longer; If only we could pay a simple fee To grow, not weaker, but forever stronger. Now, as it happens, no one understands The nature of those lethal cosmic powers That regulate the turning of the hands Of clocks, which tick away our mortal hours. Though not for us to second-guess the Lord By dreaming up a friendlier design, Senescence is a plight we can’t afford Nor with His promised Providence align, And dying is a fate we find untoward, As might the poor canary in a mine. first published in The Lyric (2024) . . C.B. Anderson was the longtime gardener for the PBS television series, The Victory Garden. Hundreds of his poems have appeared in scores of print and electronic journals out of North America, Great Britain, Ireland, Austria, Australia and India. His collection, Mortal Soup and the Blue Yonder was published in 2013 by White Violet Press. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. ***Read Our Comments Policy Here*** 17 Responses Roy Eugene Peterson May 12, 2025 First, let me praise you and your poem for using the word, “Senescence,” the process by which living cells no longer divide, but do not die, causing age-related diseases. How perfectly trenchant is this serious poem about the lives of humans on earth. The greatest lines that impacted me were: ” Where all our vaunted powers of cognition Add up to useless shavings from a lathe.” Talk about “dust to dust” in a striking metaphor! I have always admired your poetic portrayals and this is no exception. Reply Joseph S. Salemi May 12, 2025 Roy, I agree with you about those two lines. The entire poem is good, but those lines hit with the force of recognition. Reply C.B. Anderson May 12, 2025 For me, at my age, Roy, “senescence” is not an abstract concept, and I’ve always been inordinately fond of sawdust, especially the very fragrant sort produced from milling cedar. Reply Paul A. Freeman May 12, 2025 I loved the Shakespearean humour in ‘a grave condition’, and the overarching tone was just right for the topic, I felt. Thanks for the read. Reply C.B. Anderson May 12, 2025 One might even say that Shakespeare is the father of modern English humor, and that’s no joke. There are many grave conditions, Paul, as you know. When you wrote “overarching” could you not instead have written “supercilious?” Reply Adam Sedia May 13, 2025 Retrospective and introspective – laughing at death ironically because that’s all anyone can do. The simile to the canary at the end is interesting — not the usual symbolic use of the canary-in-the-coal-mine image, and therefore fresh. Nice pun on “grave,” too. Reply C.B. Anderson May 13, 2025 We can laugh at death all we want, but death just keeps laughing back at us. The canary is merely the first victim in a universal terminal event. “Grave” is its own pun. Reply James Sale May 14, 2025 Very, very good CB: the outstanding line here is ‘… you bought it for a song’ – since the word universe means one-verse, one-song, the resonance of that line is brilliant and incorporates the entire paradox of existence. Nice. Reply C.B. Anderson May 15, 2025 By Jesus, James, I hadn’t realized that I had done all that. “Bought it for a song” is an expression that means you paid nearly nothing for it, and indeed, life is a gift from God. Is existence really a paradox, or is it actually more properly called a conundrum? Reply James Sale May 16, 2025 By Jesus, indeed, CB!!! Technically, you are correct: conundrum is the right word, though even better, I feel, is the word, ‘mystery’. C.B. Anderson May 16, 2025 Exactly, James. We theosophers call it the mystery of existence. Margaret Coats May 15, 2025 Every line laden with wise wordplay, C. B., that escorts readers knowingly through reflections on the somber subject. It’s so good I could almost call it “entertaining.” The canary recalled a coal mine turned museum in Pennsylvania, where I was told canaries had been brought into service to prevent the deaths of boys during the days of child labor. Youngsters needed more aboveground breaks than older miners, though they were exceptionally useful at chipping coal out of close quarters. I agree with James Sale about “bought it for a song” as outstanding line. The kind of song produced by a newborn is not a hit that can pay for a grand tour. This poem, though, is a hit in my opinion. Reply C.B. Anderson May 15, 2025 I can’t wait, Margaret, for the loonies to come out of the walls to cry aloud, “Save the canaries!” You might not believe how much it pleases me that this poem resonated with you. As for me, I’ve grown small, but I keep chipping away. Reply Alan Steinle May 15, 2025 I find it interesting that many people who believe in an afterlife still want to stay here and resist leaving. I guess part of it is about leaving loved ones. Another part is that the transition is sometimes painful. Then there is the uncertainty of “what dreams may come” on the other side. On the other hand, don’t you think it would get tiring to live in the same physcial landscape for eons? Reply C.B. Anderson May 16, 2025 Well, Alan, you must have heard already that old trope: Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die. Macbeth’s worries are not my worries, and as for your final question: I’m willing to give it a try. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant May 17, 2025 C.B., this poem speaks (on many levels) to my head and to my heart of the brevity and fragility of our lives on earth and our humble human condition… and woven through the wisdom and wit of this beautiful poem, lies a silver thread of wonder that sings in soft, golden tones to my soul. If this was your aim – very well done indeed. If it wasn’t… then I’m all the better for reading it, regardless. C.B., thank you very much indeed! Reply C.B. Anderson May 18, 2025 Sometimes, Susan, I think we share a mind. At other times I only wonder where the time went. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Roy Eugene Peterson May 12, 2025 First, let me praise you and your poem for using the word, “Senescence,” the process by which living cells no longer divide, but do not die, causing age-related diseases. How perfectly trenchant is this serious poem about the lives of humans on earth. The greatest lines that impacted me were: ” Where all our vaunted powers of cognition Add up to useless shavings from a lathe.” Talk about “dust to dust” in a striking metaphor! I have always admired your poetic portrayals and this is no exception. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi May 12, 2025 Roy, I agree with you about those two lines. The entire poem is good, but those lines hit with the force of recognition. Reply
C.B. Anderson May 12, 2025 For me, at my age, Roy, “senescence” is not an abstract concept, and I’ve always been inordinately fond of sawdust, especially the very fragrant sort produced from milling cedar. Reply
Paul A. Freeman May 12, 2025 I loved the Shakespearean humour in ‘a grave condition’, and the overarching tone was just right for the topic, I felt. Thanks for the read. Reply
C.B. Anderson May 12, 2025 One might even say that Shakespeare is the father of modern English humor, and that’s no joke. There are many grave conditions, Paul, as you know. When you wrote “overarching” could you not instead have written “supercilious?” Reply
Adam Sedia May 13, 2025 Retrospective and introspective – laughing at death ironically because that’s all anyone can do. The simile to the canary at the end is interesting — not the usual symbolic use of the canary-in-the-coal-mine image, and therefore fresh. Nice pun on “grave,” too. Reply
C.B. Anderson May 13, 2025 We can laugh at death all we want, but death just keeps laughing back at us. The canary is merely the first victim in a universal terminal event. “Grave” is its own pun. Reply
James Sale May 14, 2025 Very, very good CB: the outstanding line here is ‘… you bought it for a song’ – since the word universe means one-verse, one-song, the resonance of that line is brilliant and incorporates the entire paradox of existence. Nice. Reply
C.B. Anderson May 15, 2025 By Jesus, James, I hadn’t realized that I had done all that. “Bought it for a song” is an expression that means you paid nearly nothing for it, and indeed, life is a gift from God. Is existence really a paradox, or is it actually more properly called a conundrum? Reply
James Sale May 16, 2025 By Jesus, indeed, CB!!! Technically, you are correct: conundrum is the right word, though even better, I feel, is the word, ‘mystery’.
Margaret Coats May 15, 2025 Every line laden with wise wordplay, C. B., that escorts readers knowingly through reflections on the somber subject. It’s so good I could almost call it “entertaining.” The canary recalled a coal mine turned museum in Pennsylvania, where I was told canaries had been brought into service to prevent the deaths of boys during the days of child labor. Youngsters needed more aboveground breaks than older miners, though they were exceptionally useful at chipping coal out of close quarters. I agree with James Sale about “bought it for a song” as outstanding line. The kind of song produced by a newborn is not a hit that can pay for a grand tour. This poem, though, is a hit in my opinion. Reply
C.B. Anderson May 15, 2025 I can’t wait, Margaret, for the loonies to come out of the walls to cry aloud, “Save the canaries!” You might not believe how much it pleases me that this poem resonated with you. As for me, I’ve grown small, but I keep chipping away. Reply
Alan Steinle May 15, 2025 I find it interesting that many people who believe in an afterlife still want to stay here and resist leaving. I guess part of it is about leaving loved ones. Another part is that the transition is sometimes painful. Then there is the uncertainty of “what dreams may come” on the other side. On the other hand, don’t you think it would get tiring to live in the same physcial landscape for eons? Reply
C.B. Anderson May 16, 2025 Well, Alan, you must have heard already that old trope: Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die. Macbeth’s worries are not my worries, and as for your final question: I’m willing to give it a try. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant May 17, 2025 C.B., this poem speaks (on many levels) to my head and to my heart of the brevity and fragility of our lives on earth and our humble human condition… and woven through the wisdom and wit of this beautiful poem, lies a silver thread of wonder that sings in soft, golden tones to my soul. If this was your aim – very well done indeed. If it wasn’t… then I’m all the better for reading it, regardless. C.B., thank you very much indeed! Reply
C.B. Anderson May 18, 2025 Sometimes, Susan, I think we share a mind. At other times I only wonder where the time went. Reply