The Emporer of Ice-Cream

This poem is about a woman who has died at a party. The poem contrasts life and death. In the first stanza, the poet describes the great party preparation going on: cigars being rolled, flowers being brought in and ice cream being made. The second stanza describes the dead woman being covered by a sheet that she herself embroidered.

The poem shows the social priorities; even though a woman has died, the party still goes on.