you too will one day be gone,
I, whose Levi's ripped at the crotch
for no reason,
assure you that such is the case.
The direct use of pronouns 'you' and 'I' make the poem deeply personal, which paradoxically universalizes the concept of inevitable end. This suggests that everything and everyone is temporal, recognizing that, above all, we must appreciate our short lives and those around us. This is reinforced by the conceit of the Levis ripping: although seemingly trivial, the sudden 'death' of trustworthy jeans implies that death is sudden, cannot be predicted, and is relevant to all aspects of life.
A piece of his head is found in the brush
centuries later
by entomologists looking for beetles.
In Ancient Egypt, Scarab beetles were a symbol of immortality and resurrection. Therefore, there is irony in the idea that in searching for rebirth, the entomologists found a symbol of pointless death: execution for cowardice. This suggests that glory, especially that of war, is not immortal and is fleeting, reducing the allure of death for one's country. Moreover, the fact that it is 'entomologists' who find the skull implies that humanity rationalizes atrocities through science, which reiterates the idea that humanity is void of the truth of others and of war, indicating a vile willful ignorance.
insisting in that quiet way of yours
that every creature
had as much right to live as we had,
& that it was a garden.
The juxtaposition of 'insisting' and 'quiet' heightens the undeniable power of the person the speaker is addressing, giving them a divine quality. This could therefore be an allegory for God's creation, suggesting that the garden is Eden, which is a microcosm for the whole world. Ergo, the speaker suggests that as humans, we should respect even the lesser parts of the world as all are created equal with equal right to exist.
