"Elegy for My Father, Who Is Not Dead" by Andrew Hudgins

It's a curious title where a thought of the father's death is being written before he even dies. Perhaps the speaker writes an elegy because of the anticipation of the father's death and the closeness of death. The speaker and father take on two clearly different perspectives on death.

Father: The father embraces death; "He's ready." This phrase is repeated a couple times giving emphasis to the fact that the father is ready to end his fight. The father is itching "to see fresh worlds." I get the sense that his death will come from over-excitement for something or over-traveling and wearing himself out. His attitude is optimistic.

Child: The speaker is an adult concerned for the well-being of his father. He's not ready to say goodbye and surely won't be cheerful when he has to. I get the feel that the father travels often as images of ships embarking make their way in the poem; perhaps the father's last journey is to Heaven. The son doesn't want to see his father die or "make [his] late trip" either. He doesn't want to receive that phone call; the attitude is pessimistic.