"Darling" is Jackie Kay's elegy for her close friend Julia Darling. In it, the poet/speaker recalls keeping watch by her dying friend's bedside. Though frustrated that she can't remember all the precise details of her friend's appearance, voice, etc., the simple act of remembrance helps her feel more connected to the person she's lost. In fact, she argues that her friend hasn't "really gone" and that the dead never "go till [we] do"—because their spirits linger with us, because our memories keep them alive, or both. What begins as a description of profound loss ends as a vision of profound connection. "Darling" appears as the title poem of Jackie Kay's Darling: New & Selected Poems (2007).
Get
LitCharts
|
You might forget ...
... a half moon,
when smaller than ...
... in the world.
I held her ...
... face almost smiling.
And what I ...
... holding our hands.
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
The Poem Aloud — Jackie Kay reads "Darling" with a short introduction.
More About Julia Darling — A 2005 obituary for Julia Darling, the subject of Kay's poem.
Interview with the Poet — Watch a PBS News Hour feature on Jackie Kay.
Kay and Angela Davis — A conversation between the poet and legendary activist/professor Angela Davis.
"The Mingulay Boat Song" — Listen to a performance of the song quoted in "Darling."