Loving Life
The "thing" that the speaker focuses on in the poem is to have a loving relationship with life. This concept appears in the first and last lines, thus framing the entire poem. Loving life does not always come easily. This kind of love is presented as a choice that one must make "even / when you have no stomach for it." This reflects Bass's perspective that one must insist upon joy and love in life. It's not enough to just be receptive to love—one must choose it. Life is personified in the poem as having a "plain face" with "no charming smile" or "violet eyes." In other words, life will not always appear beautiful and extraordinary, but the speaker in "The Thing Is" states that one must love life regardless.
Grief and the Body
In the poem, grief is made inseparable from the body—not only does experiencing grief affect various parts of the human body (such as the stomach and lungs), but grief is given its own bodily presence in the poem. It "sits with you" while its tropical heat thickens the air. Bass does not separate the emotional experience of grief from the physical body. In fact, grief is compared to an excess weight of one's own flesh (an "obesity of grief"). This weight makes a person wonder how their body can withstand it, but Bass makes it clear in the poem that she believes in human resilience.
Resilience and Agency
Resilience is not explicitly mentioned in the poem, but the choice to love life even amidst the difficulty of grief is an example of human resilience and agency. Defined as the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties, resilience appears in the poem as something that must be consciously acted upon. According to the speaker, the choice to love life must be made "even / when you have no stomach for it." In interviews, Bass has shared her perspective that it is not enough to just be receptive to love and joy; they must be insisted upon. To take life's metaphorical face in your hands and say, "I will take you / I will love you again" is presented as an incredible act of human agency in the poem.
