Crossed

“Crossing the Bar” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1889)

“Crossing the Bar” is a lyric poem that explores the transition from life to the afterlife. Tennyson uses the metaphor of crossing a sandbar into the sea to illustrate death, with the Pilot representing the divine driving force of life. “Crossing the Bar” is one of Tennyson’s most well-known poems, and Ky recites a stanza of it to honor a dead boy in Chapter 1.

• “Crossing the Bar” on SuperSummary

“Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas (1952)

Dylan Thomas was a Welsh Romantic poet who enjoyed popular acclaim in his lifetime, particularly in America, and was famous for giving theatrical, sometimes rowdy readings. “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” is his most famous poem. The doomed, defiant tone of the refrains captures Thomas’s poetry career. This poem is one of the factors that inspires Cassia to rebel in both Matched and Crossed.

• “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” on SuperSummary

“They Dropped Like Flakes” by Emily Dickinson (1863)

The blog White Heat catalogues Emily Dickinson’s poetry in the context of her life. The post for “They Dropped Like Flakes” features the text of the poem and links to high-quality photographs of the original manuscript, biographical context, historical context, and reflections on the poem by scholars. Although Dickinson wrote “They Dropped Like Flakes” with the American Civil War in mind, the poem’s themes of death and religious faith make it relevant beyond its time. A line from this poem marks the grave of Hunter’s daughter, Sarah (Chapter 30); Cassia gifts Hunter with a copy of the poem from the library cave (Chapter 42).