Classic and Contemporary Poetry
WHEN I WAS YOUNG, by IRMA TIBBETTS ANDREWS First Line: When I was young, I said I'd never grow Last Line: Like this pressed flower that knew a summer's sun. Subject(s): Aging | ||||||||
When I was young, I said I'd never grow Too fond of life, that I would never keep A thing beyond its use ... but gaily throw It far away when I was done. No sleep To lose for loss of it. No tears to shed ... No sudden wrench of pain would I endure Nor suffer pangs of parting's grief. Instead By cool detachment I'd become secure. Ah yes ... when I was young. But now I'm old Enough to understand life's pattern clear And know that empty hands will strive to hold Fast-fading glory close, by keepsakes dear. Mementos that but speak to only one, Like this pressed flower that knew a summer's sun. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...AFTER THE GENTLE POET KOBAYASHI ISSA by ROBERT HASS MEMORY AS A HEARING AID by TONY HOAGLAND AMOROSA AND COMPANY by CONRAD AIKEN GRAY WEATHER by ROBINSON JEFFERS FROM THE SPANISH by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON |
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