The Identification Comments

A poignant piece well articuated and nicely brought forth with artistic brilliance

CONGRATULATIONS being chosen by PoemHunter as The Modern Poem Of The Day. Hoorray! This I put to my Favourites

A very sad poem about identifying a son (Stephen is his nme) . Most parents do not realize that the dead lying in front of them, is really their son. Psychologically is this the non-recognizing phase. It is indeed too tragic for words! 5 Strs Topscore!

Heartrending piece......

I love Roger McGogh even more than I loved him him 45 years ago. Along with the other Liverpool poets I was taught that there is amazing flexibility in the English language. I was taught that you can use words like paint.

Just a tad on the dark side here good Roger. Not often if ever you read one of these. Very Stephen King.

oink oink peppa pig honky nonky nonce man

No doubt he was minding them for one of the older boys. Yes thats it. Thats him. Thats our Stephen. a very good poem. tony

The Leader made me laugh out loud but this one had me in tears.

Does Anybody Know When this was written?

Part Two. We parents can see anything we want to hold death away- or to hold off any proof that our children were not exactly like we thought they were. But inside we know- -our child is dead and nothing is never going to change that horrid fact

Part One- -A nice poem? Really? It is about the most heartbreaking poem I have ever read- -the father does not want this body to be his child's body- he fights recognition tooth and nail- -and to give himself some fragment of comfort he says the cigarettes must have been some other boy's and his son was being thoughtful enough to hold them for him.

Beautiful poem with nice diction. Thanks and cogratulations for being selected as the poem of the day.

Trace of doubt! ! Thanks for sharing this poem with us.

Throughout the poem the apostrophes are missing from most of the contractions. The vocabulary of the speaker seems too literate in places to explain it. A transcription problem? The poem tells of a tragedy— may the like not happen to any of our children—but sometimes the errors, the problems, with language raise barriers to appreciating what might be good in a poem. -GK

Roger, such a great poem... congrats for being chosen...a huge 10+++++

The face, is that the face mask? that mask of charred wood blistered scarred could that have been a child's face? The sweater, where intact, looks in fact all too familiar. But one must be sure. Nice poem.

Nice poem. . good presentation....10 From birth to death The god has everything From birth to death The power to stop breathe

Nice poem.. good presentation....10 From birth to death The god has everything From birth to death The power to stop breathe

the poet concentrates on a lost youth.