I Dreamed That I Was Young
I dreamed that I was young: in fresh condition
Following princesses
And learning addition
In little pink dresses.
Naïve, with plenty of time to learn
Not to stick my finger in an outlet
For I will get shocked and burned
Attention to details-I won’t forget.
Then I hit thirteen and wanted to be thirty
It’s ironic how that would be better
Than being full of youth and nerdy,
Wearing grandma’s knit Christmas sweater.
Posted: Sun,
19 May 2013 00:00:00 -0600
I dreamed that I was old: in stale
declension
Fallen from my prime, when company
Was mine, cat-nimbleness, and green
invention,
Before time took my leafy hours away.
My wisdom, ripe with body’s ruin,
found
Itself tart recompense for what was
lost
In false exchange: since wisdom in
the ground
Has no apocalypse or pentecost.
I wept for my youth, sweet passionate
young thought,
And cozy women dead that by my
side
Once lay: I wept with bitter longing,
not
Remembering how in my youth I cried.
Stanley Kunitz,
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