L'Envoi.

This poem, written in free verse with irregular lineation and no discernible rhyme or meter, presents a scathing critique of mortality and the transience of human achievement. The voice is that of a deceased individual, specifically a turkey, who laments its own demise and that of countless others, underscoring the universal fate of being reduced to nothing more than a pile of bones. The stark, matter-of-fact tone, juxtaposed with the formal, almost ritualistic language, serves to heighten the sense of irony and injustice. A structural turn occurs with the introduction of the final stanza, where the voice shifts from a personal lament to a more philosophical and existential one, questioning the nature of power and mortality. The use of onomatopoeic language, such as Gezing! and the rhetorical question O, Grave, where is thy victory? adds to the sense of shock and defiance, underscoring the speaker's assertion that even death itself is not invincible. The final line, O, Death, where is thy sting? is a particularly striking example of this, as it implies that death's supposed power is ultimately a hollow one.