Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Tuesday Poem: Sara Teasdale

Dust

When I went to look at what had long been hidden,
A jewel laid long ago in a secret place,
I trembled, for I thought to see its dark deep fire --
But only a pinch of dust blew up in my face.

I almost gave my life long ago for a thing
That has gone to dust now, stinging my eyes --
It is strange how often a heart must be broken
Before the years can make it wise.

--Sara Teasdale, 1884-1933

Thanks to Tara at Out of the Lotus
for posting this recently. A copy of it
is taped to my refrigerator, and I read it
every day.

My step-son read this Sara Teasdale poem
when his father and I got married:

I Would Live in Your Love


I would live in your love
as the sea-grasses live in the sea,
Borne up by each wave as it passes,
drawn down by each wave that recedes;
I would empty my soul of the dreams
that have gathered in me,
I would beat with your heart as it beats,
I would follow your soul as it leads.

(Apologies to Sara Teasdale, as I had to
break her long lines in order for the poem
to fit into this format.)
---

For more Tuesday Poems, click here.




3 comments:

  1. Both fantastic poems. The first should actually go up on fridge as well....Thanks for the shout-out.

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  2. She was mightily talented. It can't be easy to deploy plain language and an uncomplicated rhythm to reveal such true emotion and make readers believe that she speaks for them as well.

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  3. Sara Teasdale and Edna St. Vincent Millay remain among my top favorites as poets and as characters.

    They are very different too. Yet there are commonalities, despite geography and class.

    Love, C.

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