Friday, February 29, 2008

Poetry Friday - 1

So after an extended hiatus during which life and fiction writing overtook my brain so often that I didn't know Friday from Tuesday or up from down, I am back with Poetry Friday. I will endeavour to make a post every week, but I don't guarantee it !



This week, I've chosen W H Auden's "As I Walked Out One Evening". Here's a snippet:

As I Walked Out One Evening

"The years shall run like rabbits,
For in my arms I hold
The Flower of the Ages,
And the first love of the world."

But all the clocks in the city
Began to whirr and chime:
"O let not Time deceive you
You cannot conquer Time."

In the burrows of the Nightmare
Where Justice naked is,
Time watches from the shadow
And coughs when you would kiss.

In headaches and in worry
Vaguely life leaks away,
And time will have his fancy
To-morrow or to-day.

Into many a green valley
Drifts the appalling snow
Time breaks the threaded dances
And the diver's brilliant bow.


The whole poem can be found here.

I've no clue who's on Poetry Friday round-up this week (haven't got that far !) but check Kelly H's Blog Big A, little a as she's usually got a list up there...

7 comments:

tanita✿davis said...

Ah, Auden is brilliant as usual. Welcome back!

Karen Edmisten said...

Love the Auden. Hope your writing time was fruitful!

Michele said...

Thanks !

The writing continues to be productive, thank you.

Anonymous said...

I am so glad you're back! And I love the Auden. And his line in the second stanza about time totally jibes with the tune playing on my brainradio. It's by Dar Williams, the woman I quoted and linked to YouTube for, but it's a different song called "As Cool as I Am", and the line is "But truth is just like time, it catches up and it just keeps going."

Michele said...

Thanks Kelly ! I confess I thought of you as I was posting this morning...

"But truth is just like time, it catches up and it just keeps going."

So very true !

Unknown said...

Hey! Good to have you back! I enjoyed the poem - thanks.

Michele said...

Thanks Sheila...