Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE TOWN, by ALICE MONKS MEARS


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE TOWN, by                    
First Line: This is a dead man's town. It is his will
Last Line: And not remember who built the quaint clock tower.
Subject(s): Memory; Tower Of London; Towns


This is a dead man's town. It is his will
that among those who hate him, he should live still.
He has no trick of ghost or devil's art,
but things remain to plague the corporate heart.
Red roof after roof: by ownership, gift, or guile
he topped the plain white houses with red tile.
He might as well have roofed them with dollars, the way
you hear people talk and mock the colored clay.
And every quarter hour his clock in the square
musically says a rich man put it there.
He did other things; he did the people good.
They profited. They'd forget him if they could.

It will be another generation in this town
before the memory of him softens down
to legend and affection; before tales told
are tales cherished; before they forget his gold.
It will be a long time before lovers walking
under his trees and old men in twilight talking
will hear the village chimes mark the hour
and not remember who built the quaint clock tower.





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