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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
IT WAS OVER, by JOHN TALBOT
First Line: Something expired. At the turning
Subject(s): Past
First Line: Something expired. At the turning
Subject(s): Past
Something expired. At the turning,
A spirit was gone. That which was
Turned to sepia: high collars, punting,
Waxed mustaches, parasols.
From bridges, children stared in the river
And felt themselves, also, halved.
Old manners were patently over.
New manners had not yet arrived.
The old, without wanting to speak
Their parting lines in the act,
Learned to exit the way of pipe-smoke.
Uttered nothing. Utter tact.
Steamy ghosts rose from horses'
Maws as they champed at their bits.
The ladies reached for their purses.
The gentlemen tipped their hats.
Copyright © 1999 by The Modern Poetry Association.
This poem appears in the June 2000 issue of Poetry Magazine.
http://www.poetrymagazine.org
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