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The View from Halfway Down (poem)
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"The View from Halfway Down" is a poem first recited in the Netflix series Bojack Horseman. The poem, which appeared in the episode of the same name, was read by Will Arnett's character Butterscotch and revolved around the suicide of BoJack's idol Secretariat, a secretariat horse. The poem, and the episode of the same name, were both written by Alison Tafel. Text <poem> The weak breeze whispers nothing The water screams sublime His feet shift, teeter-totter Deep breath, stand back, it’s time Toes untouch the overpass Soon he’s water-bound Eyes locked shut but peek to see The view from halfway down A little wind, a summer sun A river rich and regal A flood of fond endorphins Brings a calm that knows no equal You’re flying now You see things much more clear than from the ground It’s all okay, it would be Were you not now halfway down Thrash to break from gravity What now could slow the drop All I’d give for toes to touch The safety back at top But this is it, the deed is done Silence drowns the sound Before I leaped I should’ve seen The view from halfway down I really should’ve thought about The view from halfway down I wish I could’ve known about The view from halfway down </poem> Interpretations In the episode, the character BoJack Horseman has a near-death experience dream, in which he remembers everyone who has died in his life. One of these people was his idol celebrity Secretariat, who had committed suicide after allegations came out of him betting on his own horse races. In the episode, Secretariat appeared to BoJack as his own father, which many people suspected was because he had never, in fact, met Secretariat. The poem surrounds Secretariat's point of view before jumping off the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge. The first stanza is read in third-person, the second stanza is read in second-person, and the last two stanzas are read in first-person. In the episode, Secretariat begins to regret jumping off the bridge, but is told to "find peace." Reception Many people praised the poem for spreading an anti-suicide message. People suspected Netflix added the poem after another of its show, 13 Reasons Why, had sparked controversy for its use of suicide.
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