Two Thursday short poems by Donald Justice

The late Donald Justice was a master of short, traditional verse.  He's got two terrific little ones on men (one of my favorite subjects).   At almost 38, both ring true.

                                               Men at Thirty

Thirty today, I saw
The trees flare briefly like
The candles upon a cake 
As the sun went down the sky,
A momentary flash
Yet there was time to wish

Before the break light could die
If I had known what to wish
As once I must have known
Bending above the clean candlelit tablecloth
To blow them out with a breath

Men at Forty

Men at fortyLearn to close softlythe doors to rooms they will not becoming back to

Comments

[annika]

Nice, Hugo. for some reason, i'm reminded of this Frost poem i came across the other night:

A Patch of Old Snow

There's a patch of old snow in a corner
That I should have guessed
Was a blow-away paper the rain
Had brought to rest.

It is speckled with grime as if
Small print overspread it,
The news of a day I've forgotten--
If I ever read it.

[Hugo]

Bingo, Annie, that's good.