beneath it all, the desire of oblivion runs

Beyond all this, the wish to be alone:
However the sky grows dark with invitation—cards
However we follow the printed directions of sex
However the family is photographed under the flag—staff—
Beyond all this, the wish to be alone.

Beneath it all, the desire of oblivion runs:
Despite the artful tensions of the calendar,
The life insurance, the tabled fertility rites,
The costly aversion of the eyes away from death—
Beneath it all, the desire for oblivion runs.

[Philip Larkin {1922-1985}, 'Wants' from Kiss Off: Poems to Set You Free]