Welcome to Litsy!

XXIX

Pour away that youth
That overflows the heart
Into hair and mouth;
Take the grave's part,
Tell the bone's truth.

Throw away that youth
That jewel in the head
That bronze in the breath;
Walk with the dead
For fear of death.

#fREADom #UniteAgainstBookBans

XXI

I dreamed of an out-thrust arm of land
Where gulls blew over a wave
That fell along miles of sand;
And the wind climbed up the caves
To tear at a dark-faced garden
Whose black flowers were dead,
And broke round a house we slept in,
A drawn blind and a bed.
⬇️

#theft #poetrymatters

X

Within the dream you said:
Let us kiss then,
In this room, in this bed,
But when all's done,
We must not meet again.

Hearing this last word,
There was no lambing-night,
No gale-driven bird
Nor frost-encircled root
As cold as my heart.

#poetrymatters #sleep

So, which sleeping position do you favour? 😊 💤

Philip Larkin, The Trees

#poetrymatters #oftenreread

@TheSpineView @LazyDays

Off to whiby for a couple of days break - 1st part of journey was train to hull to meet Alison before we drive up there.
Anyway here is the statue of the great irascible poet who was hull librarian for many years.
Hopefully I'll find a bram stoker plaque to share next.

"Home is so Sad" by Philip Larkin (1922-1985)

#home #PoetryMatters @LazyDays

@arlenefinnigan @MayJasper
Speaking of Larkin poems that don't mince words

Saw this sign outside my local library and had to share on Litsy 😀

#librarylove

What do they think has happened, the old fools,
To make them like this? Do they somehow suppose
It's more grown-up when your mouth hangs open and drools,
And you keep pissing on yourself, and can't remember
Who called this morning? Or that, if they only chose,
They could alter things back to when they danced all night,
Or went to their wedding, or sloped arms some September?

New eyes each year
Find old books here,
And new books, too,
Old eyes renew;
So youth and age
Like ink and page
In this house join,
Minting new coin.