---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The marker slants, flowerless, day’s…"
description: "\"“The marker slants, flowerless, day’s almost done, I stand above my father’s grave with rage, often, often before I’ve made this awful pilgrimage to on..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/john-berryman-10841_almost-done_the-marker-slants-flowerless-day-s-almos_3131322.png"
---

#  The marker slants, flowerless, day’s almost done, I stand…

![“The marker slants, flowerless, day’s almost done, I stand above my father’s grave with rage, often, often before I’ve made this awful pilgrimage to one who cannot visit me, who tore his page out: I come back for more, I spit upon this dreadful banker’s grave who shot his heart out in a Florida…” quote by john berryman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/john-berryman-10841_almost-done_the-marker-slants-flowerless-day-s-almos_3131322.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/john-berryman-10841_almost-done_the-marker-slants-flowerless-day-s-almos_3131322.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/john-berryman-10841_almost-done_the-marker-slants-flowerless-day-s-almos_3131322.png)

> ““The marker slants, flowerless, day’s almost done, I stand above my father’s grave with rage, often, often before I’ve made this awful pilgrimage to one who cannot visit me, who tore his page out: I come back for more, I spit upon this dreadful banker’s grave who shot his heart out in a Florida dawn O ho alas alas When will indifference come, I moan & rave I’d like to scrabble till I got right down away down under the grass and ax the casket open ha to see just how he’s taking it, which he sought so hard we’ll tear apart the mouldering grave clothes ha then Henry will heft the ax once more, his final card, and fell it on the start.””

[john berryman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berryman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A raw, angry lament about a father's grave and unresolved grief, expressed with violent imagery and existential frustration.

**In simple terms:** Angry grief over a father's death.

Key Takeaway

Channel anger into honest expression.

Themes

grief anger family death revenge

Mood

tormented intense

Type

poetic confessional

When to use this quote

- visiting graves
- writing therapy
- personal catharsis
- family conflict
- ritual mourning

Key Concepts

existential angst memory violence

Questions to Reflect On

- How does anger shape your mourning?
- Can you find peace without violence?

A Different Perspective

The violent tone may alienate listeners and hinder healing.

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Browse all 41 Almost done quotes

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