Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, TO DAD, by MARY CRANE CLARK



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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

TO DAD, by                    
First Line: He never feared november days
Last Line: Of youth revitalized by age.
Subject(s): Aging; Fathers; Soul; Youth


He never feared November days;
He knew how counterpoint of black and white
Gave grey the deeper value.
He could take today's bright glare
And still gaze eager-eyed
To scarlet banners streaming horizon-ward.

He was forever young, forever old;
In his soul dwelt harmony.

Yet, as all men must, so he serves
His bondage to pettiness.
Master! What will you teach this man
That half repays
The bitter, hated burden of the bond?

Yes, yes -- "work out the time" --
Men must do it all their lives --
And then --

What if the well-loved grey resolves to gloom,
What if the book is closed and put away,
And what if there are no scarlet flashes
In the endless round of little days.

Defeat! This man will not accept the word.
From the darkest days he seeks to glean
The tiny, filtered ray of happiness.
He holds it in the prism of his heart,
Gaining each day the bravery
That lifts once more his eyes
To scarlet banners streaming in the skies!
And so, magnificently, he writes the page
Of youth revitalized by age.





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