Overview

Sachs's poem, "But Perhaps God Needs the Longing," articulates a reason for why grief and loss fill the world. The poem explores the universality of birth and the inevitability of death. The poet suggests that death and grief are expressions of prayer that leave their earthly bounds and fill the night sky with the light of stars. The poem also reasons that grief and longing are important in keeping the memory of loss alive. Longing is the unseen representation of grief, but the stars are the way in which longing makes grief visible. When those who are lost continue to be remembered, their existence continues, even though they no longer exist on an earthly plane.

Lines 1—2

The first two lines of Sachs's poem begin with the articulation of the first of several queries. The first question asks if God needs the desire, the yearning of mankind...