I stand within a meadow wide
Its borders marked by barren trees
While on the wind white snowflakes glide
And drift like sad, unfinished dreams--
Now some fall to my fingertips
To kiss with cold, unfeeling lips
O wind! Untamed and ever free
Can thou, the gentle bearer, know
This life so dark I cannot see
This world with nowhere safe to go?
And dost thou sing for starry skies
Or in the darkness yearn for eyes?
O snowflake, clinging to my hair
So intricate, so small and pure
What couldst thou know of blank despair
Of death’s deceptive, restful lure?
O that I could be as thou art;
Refresh and make anew my heart!
Unique art thou, but though my touch
Is gentle, deep within my hand
There lies a dread destroyer, such
As thou art pow’rless to withstand.
I cannot hope to bid thee stay
But only watch thee fade away--
And yet, with but a moment past
Another comes to take thy place
As if thou were not meant to last
Thy memory to be erased...
I stand and wonder: could it be
That I am truly like to thee?
[Disclaimer: As this poem was written for class and is an attempt to emulate the style of romantic-era poets such as Coleridge, Shelley, and Keats, the sentiments of the poem’s speaker are not necessarily those of the author.]
Its borders marked by barren trees
While on the wind white snowflakes glide
And drift like sad, unfinished dreams--
Now some fall to my fingertips
To kiss with cold, unfeeling lips
O wind! Untamed and ever free
Can thou, the gentle bearer, know
This life so dark I cannot see
This world with nowhere safe to go?
And dost thou sing for starry skies
Or in the darkness yearn for eyes?
O snowflake, clinging to my hair
So intricate, so small and pure
What couldst thou know of blank despair
Of death’s deceptive, restful lure?
O that I could be as thou art;
Refresh and make anew my heart!
Unique art thou, but though my touch
Is gentle, deep within my hand
There lies a dread destroyer, such
As thou art pow’rless to withstand.
I cannot hope to bid thee stay
But only watch thee fade away--
And yet, with but a moment past
Another comes to take thy place
As if thou were not meant to last
Thy memory to be erased...
I stand and wonder: could it be
That I am truly like to thee?
[Disclaimer: As this poem was written for class and is an attempt to emulate the style of romantic-era poets such as Coleridge, Shelley, and Keats, the sentiments of the poem’s speaker are not necessarily those of the author.]