The HyperTexts
"Something"
by Michael R. Burch
Form, Theme, Analysis and Meaning, Tone, Diction and Literary Devices
If you are a student, scholar or educator interested in writing a paper about
the Holocaust poem "Something" or have any other interest in the poem, you can
read the author's own analysis and explanations below. You are also welcome to
email him if you have questions or comments at
mikerburch@gmail.com (please be sure
not to miss the "r" between his first and last names). Composers are also
welcome, as 26 of his poems have been set to music by 12 different composers.
You can find Burch's analysis of his poems here: "Auschwitz Rose" Analysis,
"Epitaph" Analysis,
"Something" Analysis,
"Will There Be Starlight" Analysis,
"Davenport Tomorrow" Analysis,
"Neglect" Analysis,
"Passionate One" Analysis,
"Self Reflection" Analysis

This was the first non-rhyming poem that I wrote as a young poet. It came to me
from "out of blue nothing" . . .
Something
by Michael R. Burch
―for the children of the Holocaust and the Nakba
Something inescapable is lost—
lost like a pale vapor curling up into shafts of moonlight,
vanishing in a gust of wind toward an expanse of stars
immeasurable and void.
Something uncapturable is gone—
gone with the spent leaves and illuminations of autumn,
scattered into a haze with the faint rustle of parched grass
and remembrance.
Something unforgettable is past—
blown from a glimmer into nothingness, or less,
which finality has swept into a corner ... where it lies
in dust and cobwebs and silence.
Form, Theme, Analysis and Meaning: "Something" is a poem about
loss, an elegy of sorts and a lament. The poem's main theme is loss: the ultimate
loss of death with lives
slipping through our fingers like vapor. The lines came to me from "out of blue nothing," to borrow a
phrase from my friend the Maltese poet Joe Ruggier. This
was the first poem I wrote that
didn't rhyme, and my first free verse poem. The poem came to me completely unplanned,
however, and it seemed to materialize on its own. I wrote it
as a teenager, either toward the end of my senior year in high school or
during my freshman year in college. I later dedicated "Something" to the children who died in the Holocaust and Nakba.
It is, to put it simply, a poem of the heart and a poem of despair that such
terrible things are possible.
Tone: The poem's tone can be described as somber, regretful, lamentatious, grieving, mournful, sad.
Poetic Diction: The poem's language is similar to that of an
elegy or eulogy: formal, reserved, reverential. One can imagine the poem being
read at a funeral for the victims of a school shooting, for instance.
Literary Devices: The poem's primary literary devices are
imagery and metaphor, with each image being a metaphor for loss. The sounds of
the words help convey impressions and feelings of loss, sadness and
insubstantiality. However, to be honest, I must admit that in this case I didn't
choose the words. It was more as if they chose me. The poem also employs
understatement with the title and refrain "Something." This use of
understatement is expanded upon in the "Title" section below.
Title: While it may seem like a nebulous term, I think
"Something" suits the poem. In this case the "something" in question is actually
of the utmost importance, so both the refrain and title are ironic. These lost "somethings"
should have mattered immensely but to much of the world they apparently didn't
and quickly became an afterthought. That is sad commentary on the human capacity
for denial, but evidently true. We should not be using the term "something" in
reference to the lives of our fellow human beings, especially children, but the
poem's accusation is unfortunately supported by the weight of massive evidence,
including but not limited to the Holocaust, the Trail of Tears and the
Palestinian Nakba.
Genres: The poem is an elegy, a eulogy, a lamentation, a
Holocaust poem and a protest poem similar in concept to Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in
the Wind."
Publication History: "Something" has been published by
There is Something in the Autumn (anthology), The Eclectic Muse
(Canada), Promosaik (Germany), Setu (India), Borderless
Journal (India), Boloji (India), FreeXpression
(Australia), Poetry Super Highway, Poet’s Corner, Better Than Starbucks, The
Chained Muse and Life and Legends. "Something" has also been used
in numerous student Holocaust projects over the years. It has also been
translated into Romanian by Petru Dimofte, translated into Turkish by Nurgül
Yayman, turned into a YouTube video by Lillian Y. Wong, and used by Windsor
Jewish Community Centre during a candle-lighting ceremony.
Bio:
Michael R. Burch is an American poet who lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his
wife Beth, their son Jeremy, and three outrageously spoiled puppies. His poems, epigrams, translations, essays, articles,
reviews, short stories and letters have appeared
more than 6,000 times in publications which include TIME, USA Today, The Hindu,
BBC Radio 3, CNN.com, Daily Kos, The Washington Post, Light Quarterly, The Lyric, Measure, Writer's Digest—The Year's Best Writing,
The Best of the Eclectic Muse, Unlikely Stories and
hundreds of other literary journals, websites and blogs. Mike Burch is also the
founder and editor-in-chief of The HyperTexts, a former columnist for the Nashville City Paper and, according to Google's
rankings, a relevant online publisher of poems about the Holocaust,
Hiroshima, the Trail of Tears, Darfur, Haiti, Gaza
and the Palestinian Nakba. He has two published books,
Violets for Beth (White
Violet Press, 2012) and
O, Terrible Angel (Ancient Cypress Press, 2013).
A third book, Auschwitz Rose, is still in the chute but long delayed.
Burch's poetry has been translated into fourteen languages and set to music by
nine composers. His poem "First They
Came for the Muslims" has been adopted by Amnesty International for its
Words That Burn anthology, a free online resource for
students and educators. He has also served as editor of International
Poetry and Translations for the literary journal Better
Than Starbucks.
For an expanded bio, circum vitae and career timeline of the poet, please click here: Michael R. Burch Expanded Bio.
You can find Burch's analysis of his poems here: "Auschwitz Rose" Analysis,
"Epitaph" Analysis,
"Something" Analysis,
"Will There Be Starlight" Analysis,
"Davenport Tomorrow" Analysis,
"Neglect" Analysis,
"Passionate One" Analysis,
"Self Reflection" Analysis,
Understatement Examples from Shakespeare and Elsewhere
The HyperTexts