John M. Church, speaking from the grave, admits he used his position as a mining company attorney to rig outcomes and deny justice to injured workers, widows, and orphans. He grew rich by pulling strings with judges and juries, and his professional peers honored him with praise and flowers. Yet none of that matters now. The speaker feels no pride, only a grim awareness that his body is decaying in a fittingly ugly way: rats have eaten his heart and a snake nests in his skull. The mood is darkly ironic and haunting, mixing the polished language of worldly success with grotesque imagery of the grave. The poem suggests the moral rot beneath a respectable career and the worthlessness of public acclaim after death.
John M. Church — Summary
I was attorney for the “Q” And the Indemnity Company which insured The owners of the mine. I pulled the wires with judge and jury, And the upper courts, to beat the claims Of the crippled, the widow and orphan, And made a fortune thereat. The bar association sang my praises In a high-flown resolution. And the floral tributes were many— But the rats devoured my heart And a snake made a nest in my skull