Are Readers Dead?

James Tate's Absurdist Lyric

James Tate (1943-2015) is one of my favorite contemporary-ish poets. Here’s a poem I like, typical of his surreal, absurdist, witty, and darkly comical style:

The poem is about the gap between writer and reader, but is shocking from the start as it references “your casket.” Is the reader to whom Tate addresses his words already dead, or is he preparing …