La Pension. (Translation) . Poem by Michael Walker

The poet observes that the graveyard is the cheapest boarding house, and one day we will all board there, rich and poor alike. This is true of course. But he adds that if he can cling on to life here, he will not go and board there. Most people would agree: they want to live as long as possible, never die. Langston Hughes died of complications after surgery for cancer in May,1967, at a hospital in Manhattan, New York.
From reading many of Hughes's poems, it is obvious that he lived in boarding houses often, in many places, being unsettled at times. He had many women friends. As a young student and teacher, I had a lot of experience in living in various boarding houses, some good others not so good.