In "The Thing Is," the speaker instructs readers to keep loving life even amidst the difficult weight of grief. Even when a person feels unwilling to the point of sickness, the speaker insists on loving life. During difficult times, it feels like everything important is suddenly as fragile as burnt paper that crumbles apart in the hands. The throat tightens and fills with the sediment of this feeling.
Grief has a presence that is described in the poem as a tropical heat that thickens the air. Grief is as heavy as water, making it more fit for creatures with gills rather than human lungs. The weight of grief is compared to an excess of flesh. When the situation becomes almost unbearable, a person will wonder how their body can withstand this grief.
According to the speaker, it is at this point of despair that one must hold life's plain face and say, "yes, I will take you / I will love you, again," and thus renew a loving relationship with life.
