Not Waving but Drowning
Not Waving but Drowning is one of the finest poems by Stevie Smith. Its short darkly humorous story is about a man who's thrashing whilst drowning in the sea is mistaken for waving by people on the shore. It is also clear that this is a metaphor for any situation in which a cry for help is misinterpreted or ignored by friends and family. This poem has also been recorded by the singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt.