We Are Seven

"And there upon the ground I sit - I sit and sing to them." Here the little cottage girl sings to her brother and her sister as they sadly lay in their graves. For her to sit and sing to them in the church-yard illustrates a strong sense of hope and never-ending love of family. It is obvious to the reader that the little girl believes that all of her brothers and sisters are all still together in spirit, no matter where they are (physically or spiritually). Her attitude towards the questions asked of her remains positive and hopeful. Hopeful, because she believes her family of seven will all be reunited once again whether it be during their lifetimes on Earth or in Heaven. I believe the pessimism of the man asking her all of the questions only strengthens her beliefs in the unity of her family. The man is misguided in the eyes of the little girl. "But they are dead; those two are dead! Their spirits are in Heaven!" There is an agreement on where their spirits have gone to, but what the man does not understand, and the little girl does, is that their spirits still have a presence inside of her and she will one day be reunited with them. The unity and bond will forever remain. The supposed innocence of the little girl is not to suggest her being naive, her innocence shows the grown man a new way to look at something he may have overlooked in his life. A great connection to the hopefulness and optimism in this poem is also found in one of my favorite country songs by Steve Wariner.

Click the link and then the play button on the first search result.

Holes in the Floor of Heaven