Question about D H Lawrence's Poem "We are Transmitters"

On my Face Book group The Juno Texas Literary Group (a sub heading of my FB page John Carter Mayfield III), I posted this Poem by D.H. Lawrence :


WE ARE TRANSMITTERS

As we live we are transmitters of life.
And when we fail to transmit life, life fails to flow through us.
That is part of the mystery of sex, it is a flow onwards.
Sexless people transmit nothing.

And if, as we work, we can transmit life into our work,
life, still more life, rushes into us to compensate, to be ready
and we ripple with life through the days.

Even if it is a woman making an apple dumpling, or a man a stool,
if life goes into the pudding, good is the pudding good is the stool,

content is the woman, with fresh life rippling in to her, content is
the man.



Give, and it shall be given unto you


is still the truth about life.
But giving life is not so easy.
It doesn't mean handing it out to some mean fool, or letting the living dead eat you up.

It means kindling the life-quality where it was not,
even if it's only in the whiteness of a washed pocket-handkerchief.

************************************************** ************************************
My Brother has a quadriplegic son and contends that I insulted him by including this poem as one of my favorites due to the line about Sexless people. I countered that his son is not sexless only paralyzed. The poem is about Attitude not action! Please give me you thoughts ?

This is a very powerful poem! I feel as though it fits with me at this present time in my life. I love the way this poem encapsulates both attitude, as you said, as well as taking pride in whatever it is you do. You are really only as alive as you choose to be. If what you are doing is done with love, pride, and a certain "awakeness," you are continuing the flow of life through all you do. Do you think this poem also speaks this of someone who is not loving their "job" or what they do?

Another interesting aspect I see within this poem is a gentle reminder of the gentle balance between giving to others, while at the same time, not being used, or eaten up by the living dead.

Just some of my take on it. Definitely a great and interesting poem. So glad you posted it!