--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cast up the heart flops over gasping…" description: "\"“Cast up the heart flops over gasping 'Love' a foolish fish which tries to draw its breath from flesh of air And no one there to hear its death among t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e23/lawrence-ferlinghetti-7689_death_cast-up-the-heart-flops-over-gasping-lov_194733.jpg" --- # Cast up the heart flops over gasping 'Love' a foolish fish… ![“Cast up the heart flops over gasping 'Love' a foolish fish which tries to draw its breath from flesh of air And no one there to hear its death among the sad bushes where the world rushes by in a blather of asphalt and delay” quote by Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e23/lawrence-ferlinghetti-7689_death_cast-up-the-heart-flops-over-gasping-lov_194733.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e23/lawrence-ferlinghetti-7689_death_cast-up-the-heart-flops-over-gasping-lov_194733.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e23/lawrence-ferlinghetti-7689_death_cast-up-the-heart-flops-over-gasping-lov_194733.jpg) > ““Cast up the heart flops over gasping 'Love' a foolish fish which tries to draw its breath from flesh of air And no one there to hear its death among the sad bushes where the world rushes by in a blather of asphalt and delay”” [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem juxtaposes frantic modern life with a yearning for authentic love, using vivid, chaotic imagery. **In simple terms:** Modern chaos clashes with deep longing for love. Key Takeaway Embrace love amidst chaos. Themes love modernity loneliness Mood melancholic reflective Type poetic lyical When to use this quote - city commuting - personal relationships - artistic creation Key Concepts existentialism urban alienation Questions to Reflect On - What does the 'foolish fish' symbolize? - How does urban noise affect emotional connection? A Different Perspective The metaphor may obscure the intended message. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ## Related quotes > [“Because it is useless, and I tell them so at once. 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If this is true, then love is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/experience-seems-to-convince-us-that-only-fools-trust-that-only-fools/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [I made room for this love, how foolish of me. And every woman lookin' at you, knew that you was lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wale/i-made-room-for-this-love-how-foolish-of-me-and-every-woman-lookin-at/) [Wale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wale/) > [Dont risk losing someone you love for foolish reasons, dont say I didnt meet you more than half way, and dont get mad at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-solano/dont-risk-losing-someone-you-love-for-foolish-reasons-dont-say-i/) Jocelyn Solano > [“No, love is never foolish. Or unnecessary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/no-love-is-never-foolish-or-unnecessary/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [Love is blind and love can be foolish Our heart doesn't always love the right people at the right time. Sometimes we hurt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/love-is-blind-and-love-can-be-foolish-our-heart-doesn-t-always-love/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [Yes - I agree that 'Love Foolish' is very similar to 'Make Me Go,' however, the message is different. 'Love Foolish' follows a story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momo-hirai/yes-i-agree-that-love-foolish-is-very-similar-to-make-me-go-however/) [Momo Hirai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momo-hirai/) > [“I've always thought that love was being foolish and stupid. It's about being on the edge and I like being on the edge. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nowra/i-ve-always-thought-that-love-was-being-foolish-and-stupid-it-s-about/) [Louis Nowra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nowra/) ## More by Lawrence Ferlinghetti > [“I am waiting for the meek to be blessed and inherit the earth... without taxes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/i-am-waiting-for-the-meek-to-be-blessed-and-inherit-the-earth-without/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [We have to raise the consciousness; the only way poets can change the world is to raise the consciousness of the general populace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/we-have-to-raise-the-consciousness-the-only-way-poets-can-change-the/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [I didn’t know that painters and writers retired. They’re like soldiers – they just fade away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/i-didn-t-know-that-painters-and-writers-retired-they-re-like-soldiers/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [I certainly was surprised to be named Poet Laureate of this far-out city on the left side of the world, and I gratefully accept,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/i-certainly-was-surprised-to-be-named-poet-laureate-of-this-far-out/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [Paperbacks weren't considered real books in the book trade. Up till then it was just murder mysteries, potboilers, 25-cent pocket books sold in newsstands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/paperbacks-weren-t-considered-real-books-in-the-book-trade-up-till/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [Poetry is the shadow cast by our streetlight imaginations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/poetry-is-the-shadow-cast-by-our-streetlight-imaginations/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [The real literary editors have mostly been fired. Those that remain are all ottom line editors; everything depends on the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/the-real-literary-editors-have-mostly-been-fired-those-that-remain/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [The paintings may communicate even better because people are lazy and they can look at a painting with less effort than they can read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/the-paintings-may-communicate-even-better-because-people-are-lazy-and/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [Poetry can change the world, just like any art can change the world, by changing consciousness. 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If the poem or the painting has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/the-art-has-to-make-it-on-its-own-without-explanations-and-it-s-the/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [There is an ecstatic mechanism in birds that makes them fly upwards in spite of worms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/there-is-an-ecstatic-mechanism-in-birds-that-makes-them-fly-upwards/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [I have a feeling I'm falling on rare occasions but most of the time I have my feet on the ground I can't help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/i-have-a-feeling-i-m-falling-on-rare-occasions-but-most-of-the-time-i/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) [Explore all 88 Lawrence Ferlinghetti quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. 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Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) J. Anthony Torino > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) Alan W. Powers > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I love life. 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You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Cast up the heart flops over gasping 'Love' a foolish fish which tries to draw its breath from flesh of air And no one there to hear its death among the sad bushes where the world rushes by in a blather of asphalt and delay”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lawrence Ferlinghetti" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/cast-up-the-heart-flops-over-gasping-love-a-foolish-fish-which-tries/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/cast-up-the-heart-flops-over-gasping-love-a-foolish-fish-which-tries/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e23/lawrence-ferlinghetti-7689_death_cast-up-the-heart-flops-over-gasping-lov_194733.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e23/lawrence-ferlinghetti-7689_death_cast-up-the-heart-flops-over-gasping-lov_194733.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e23/lawrence-ferlinghetti-7689_death_cast-up-the-heart-flops-over-gasping-lov_194733.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Cast up the heart flops over gasping 'Love' a foolish fish which tries to draw its breath from flesh of air…” — Lawrence Ferlinghetti", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lawrence Ferlinghetti", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Cast up the heart flops over...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/cast-up-the-heart-flops-over-gasping-love-a-foolish-fish-which-tries/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/cast-up-the-heart-flops-over-gasping-love-a-foolish-fish-which-tries/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```