This Be The Verse

[gus.nixon]

This Be The Verse

By Philip Larkin

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.



This resonated with me. Just wanted to share.

 

[Brick In The Wall]

I enjoyed it, thank you for sharing.

 

[XYZ]

I love his poems. Especially that one about trees and the coming of spring. And then that one about how we spend our lives waiting patiently, devoutedly for something that never comes, until Death seeks us out:

Only one ship is seeking us, a black-
Sailed unfamiliar, towing at her back
A huge and birdless silence. In her wake
No waters breed or break.

Such a beautiful image: Death as a huge and birdless silence. Yes, the few times I've come eye to eye with Death, it was always silent.