Late last year Stephen surprised me with W.H. Auden Selected Poems. Although most are kind of sad, his words resonate with every day life. Heartache happens no matter what—what matters is what you do with it. The More Loving One, for instance, is about someone who loves another, but their love is not returned:
Looking up at the stars, I know quite well
That, for all they care, I can go to hell,
But on earth indifference is the least
We have to dread from man or beast.How should we like it were stars to burn
With a passion for us we could not return?
If equal affection cannot be,
Let the more loving one be me.Admirer as I think I am
Of stars that do not give a damn,
I cannot, now I see them, say
I missed one terribly all day.Where all stars to disappear or die,
W.H. Auden
I should learn to look at an empty sky
And feel its total dark sublime,
Though this might take me a little time.
I know, it’s pretty heart wrenching, right? I’ll just add a link to Funeral Blues, this one will make you cry—but it’s real.
Real heartache, real pain, real life.
Sometimes, it’s nice to take a break from reading fantasy or classics—which is what I usually read. I enjoy the pace of poetry and unmasking the hidden message. It’s refreshing.
Do you have a favorite poem? What is it?
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