Yeah, I tried to do this really gently, maybe too gently.

When you read my explainer that follows the poem, you’ll see that ‘gone’ refers to her dying. So, yes, the ‘gone’ is her leaving in that her soul left her body.

Thank you for checking in with me on that point.

Do you think it makes much difference if some readers interpret the ‘gone’ as referring to the whisper fading away, while others understand it to be describing the moments before death? Interested in your thoughts.