Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, HUNTING, HOPING, FINDING, by JAMES LARKIN


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

HUNTING, HOPING, FINDING, by                    
First Line: The room is dark, the air is heavy
Last Line: And I'll go west with the rest.
Subject(s): Despair; Dreams; Hope; Love; Nightmares; Optimism


The room is dark, the air is heavy,
And a musty atmosphere weighs me down;
I can't arise for the load on my brain,
But I can laugh for being the clown.

I review my life, as I see it all,
I read the balance sheet in despair;
I pause for a moment on the brink of life,
And God! how the shadows stare.

My head is bowed with every step I take,
Faint whisperings, saying night is nigh;
Behind—leaving a world cold and gray,
Beyond—what life; when I die?

I refuse to leave, though tired of its cares,
And disgusted with its goods in store;
For I've sought contentment and comfort,
And find what makes me want more.

I have looked for fame and fortune,
I have found only biffs and bangs;
I have found sadness and sufferings,
And a heart with all the hunger pangs.

I have sought people's favor and fancy,
I have looked for the chances galore;
I have found the gates closed to strangers,
And often denied even the door.

I hope I'm not deceived in its promises,
For I have groped for the will-o-the-wisp;
I have emptied life's bitter chalice,
And the dregs leave only the lisp.

I have been through the junk shops of humanity,
With its wards filled with lost souls;
Whose pale and parched lips send out appeals,
And say they, too, have been denied their goals.

But I still hold on and drift in the stream,
While the world turns its back on me;
Still clinging to delusions, hopes and fears,
And I am afraid to go on and see.

I walk into creation in the summertime,
Not late when the leaves are dry;
A faded flower,—a fallen leaf,
Discords and despairs make me sigh.

I turn again to the window,
God! but the night seems near;
Such a dismal and impressive picture,
Is painted only for my eye and ear.

Each day I live is a lifetime,
I awake with the consciousness of life,
I am spurred with the lust of battle,
Just to show how I thrive on strife.

When I awoke, I found you beside me,
A vision it seemed from on high;
Now let me live in peace and contentment,
As long as I have you near by.

My soul once driven to desperation,
My spirit that held out so long;
Now replaced by a love overwhelming,
And life is just an endless song.

The hour glass of life is forgotten,
The sand doesn't slip when love has it set,
But if I lose all God has given me,
Then let me die and forget.

You have my life, you have my soul,
Please believe I've done my best;
To break the soul is to take the life,
And I'll go west with the rest.





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