What happens at the end of Meinke’s "The Cranes"? Why do you think the cranes suddenly “plunge upward”? Are the cranes conventional or literary symbols? Peter Meinke writes, “It’s important for poets to read fiction, and fiction writers to read poetry—this could add depth to the fiction and clarity to the poetry.” What does Meinke mean—how do fiction literature and poetry differ? How does Meinke’s story seem influenced by poetry?

At the end of Meinke's story, the man most likely shoots the woman out of mercy (and maybe also kills himself). Earlier in the story, she says that, "Ever since the accident it’s been one thing after another. I’m just a lot of trouble to everybody." The woman seems debilitated and tired (and she coughs a great deal), and the couple has covered the front seat of the car with a plastic sheet, likely to prevent blood from spotting the seats. The man puts an object between them wrapped in a plaid towel, and she asks him if the noise (most likely of the gun going off) will hurt his ears. At the end of the story, the cranes suddenly plunge upward when they are startled by hearing the shot of the gun. The cranes are both conventional and literary, as the couple watches actual cranes in their last moments together. The cranes also represent the beauty and love the couple has shared, as the cranes mate for life.
Literature and poetry differ because poetry tells a story with an economy of words. As Meinke says, poems and short stories leave "out the boffo endings [and leave] out conversations that are extraneous." Poetry tells a story with few words so that each word means something and has a certain depth to it. Therefore, reading poetry can help fiction writers develop the ability to add depth to each word, and reading fiction can help poets develop more clarity around what they write because fiction usually makes a storyline clearer than poetry does. This story is much like poetry because it tells a story of the couple's entire long relationship by using an economy of words and a few striking images.