Richard Cory by Edward Arlington Robinson (with added input)

Scene4 Magazine: Richard Cory’s Untold Story | David Alpaugh December 2011 …

Richard Cory

Whenever Richard Cory went downtown,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still, he fluttered pulses when he said,
‘Good-morning,’ and he glittered when he walked.

And he was rich – yes, richer than a king –
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.

So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.

-Edwin Arlington Robinson

“It is so far to look up when he stands so high above us..”

“It is so far to look up when he stands so high above us..”
Yes, today is not Friday, so this is not the Friday Night Poetry Corner…
I’m discussing a tragic poem of sorts. I remember this from a long time ago: “Richard Cory” by Edward Arlington Robinson. It stuck with me for over twenty years, yes, over twenty. Now, granted, I am not a morbid person by any means. A positive outlook on life is always at the forefront of my thinking, the essence of my being.

It is just me to be a dreamer for a better tomorrow.

This is my take on his masterpiece; I believe it is not an original viewpoint either. He was a sad man, this Richard Cory. All the fame, money, and good looks in the world could not save him from utter depression to the point of taking his own life. How could a person sink so low to a fate not want to exist?

—Not ever to experience a family of their own, no children.
—No visit to beautiful places like beaches, parks, fun parks, vacations in far countries or remote cities.
—There would be no discussion of movies with friends and foes alike if they enjoyed the thrill of a vibrant yet competitive conversation.

Never spend time with a person who makes them feel everything among anything in an unacceptable world. That life energy would never be taken fully, even by the greatest of all personal tragedies.

How they would never taste their favorite food again.

Waiting for an up-and-coming movie which they waited for years to come out (Prometheus, anyone)??

Drinking with good friends at a local pub/bar, enjoying people-watching and the eye candy of their respective delights.
How would they not want to see what tomorrow brings in the form of a surprise yet hopeful, optimistic result engrossed in personal thinking?
Well, in the case of Richard Cory, he had none of those ambitions,
just an empty soul.

And my good people hurt the soul of anyone empathic towards human suffering without knowing that a person is genuinely suffering. For each one, please aid one. One thing to understand is that when people need help and are in great pain, do not expect an open cry for help because you likely won’t hear one. There are signs, vital signs you must heed, for example:

*A change in behavior, more so a drastic change from they are the norm.
*Talks of the future with them not in it
*Talks of wanting to hurt themselves
*Giving away possessions that they once cherished.

There are more, and for more information, please visit this site:

:

Warning Signs of Suicide

…and please call if you are feeling this way, believe this you are loved and there is someone you can talk to, and that person is here: