Recently I have been enjoying the British television series “Down Cemetery Road.” It is a brilliant mystery drama with first-rate acting, and it can be found on Apple TV and Amazon Prime in Canada.
I discovered the source of the show’s title only when one of the key characters, played by Emma Thompson, recited some of Philip Larkin’s poem “Toads Revisited” which mentions Cemetery Road.
I found the poem on The Poetry Hour website and read it through three times until I felt as though I was in tune with the author’s meaning. I was especially taken by the last stanza which reads:
When the lights come on at four
At the end of another year?
Give me your arm, old toad;
Help me down Cemetery Road.
As I write this post, it is 4:05 PM, and the sun has just gone down behind the buildings that I see from my windows. My blinds have closed automatically already; they are set to close at half an hour before sunset. The lights that my neighbours have placed in the community gardens have been on all day, but the Christmas lights that I have strung around my patio came on at 3:40. Not four o’clock exactly, but pretty close to the poem’s imaginings.
The verses refer to working people of various kinds, and I wondered what was meant by “toad work” so I Googled it. This is how Google AI explains it:
“The toad work” in Philip Larkin’s poem “Toads” symbolizes the heavy, unromantic, and burdensome nature of daily work and societal obligations, a persistent, ugly pressure that squats on one’s life, forcing the speaker to trade days of freedom for money and a pension, even as he grudgingly recognizes his own “toad-like” participation in this system. It’s a metaphor for the monotonous 9-to-5 grind that stifles personal passions, contrasting with the dream of living by one’s wits, yet the poem concludes that both internal and external “toads” (work and creative duty) are inescapable, says Interesting Literature and All Poetry.
My days of toad work are over, but the lights still come on at around 4 PM in winter here, and I enjoy them. It would be nice to have someone to take my arm as my aging body takes walks, but I am grateful that I have the strength to walk alone.
I heartily recommend both the TV show and the poem. They will give you lots to think about.
Snowbird of Paradise 
Thanks for the recommendation
You are most welcome, Sheree.
Brilliant Anne. Thanks
Cheers, Donna.
So many thoughts! First, thanks for the recommendation of Down Cemetery Road. My husband and I are both Emma Thompson fans, and we just subscribed to Apple TV, so we’ll give it a try.
Also, in the last couple of years I have been dabbling in writing and reading poetry. In reading an online article about how to read poetry, one recommendation was to read the poem three times! This helped me with my impatience that I didn’t “get” poetry, unless it was explained. I find that I need to approach poetry with a different mindset than reading novels, memoirs, etc. Now that I write that, I’m realizing of course! Poetry is different!
Lastly, I am fascinated with your smart window treatments. It is an evening ritual for us to close up our house. Before the neighbors across the street get a light-enhanced view into our living room!
I hope you enjoy the show, Lorna. If not, I guess I owe you for the Apple TV subscription!
Like you, I have difficulty “getting” poetry, and its probably because I read too quickly. That comes from years of teaching writing and having too much marking to do.
Now that I am retired and have a lot of time to myself, I sometimes read something repeatedly and find that each “take” is different.
And, my window treatments! When I moved in here a couple of years ago, I had 30-year-old curtains and valances taken down and chose to replace them with something that I thought would be cleaner. They are very large floor-to-ceiling windows, so the blinds company recommended the automatic blinds. I have not regretted the choice.
Nah, you won’t owe me. I had never watched Ted Lasso, so working through all three seasons was worth the subscription cost. And the documentary with Andrea Gibson…
I’m relieved to hear you have had to approach poetry differently too.
And, no regrets about the smart blinds. Very cool!
Ted Lasso was my reason for getting Apple TV, too!
An excellent reason! Impatiently waiting for the new season.
Now I’m going to check out the Andrea Gibson documentary!
Happy to hear you’re enjoying the show. I’ll binge it when all the episodes are out 🙂
Good plan!