Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, DRIFTWOOD, by JOHN C. ADLER


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

DRIFTWOOD, by                    
First Line: Dreary upon the beach
Last Line: You sleep upon the sand.
Subject(s): Driftwood


Dreary upon the beach,
You lie with shattered dignity, resigned
To endless waiting for an endless nothing,
Calm in your memories, and content to bleach
In the pleasant warmth of sun; to find
Repose on patient sands; you are the clothing
Of what might have been,
Had one more greedy wave
Foregone its passioned lust ever to win;
Had one more seething tempest ceased to blow;
But you, I know,
Are happy now in your uncovered grave.

Passing ships at night,
Lighted with silence and with mystery,
You have seen vanish; heard the plaintive cry
Of landbirds lost at sea, sobbing their plight;
And thought the awful thought that you were free!
And in that knowledge, longed to occupy
Again the home you loved,
Though you were restless in its quietude
Until you left it; now that you have roved,
You rest, and past the curse and bliss of mood,
You sleep upon the sand.





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