Happy New Year, Birthday and so on..
Sundeep Dougal (holden@giasdl01.vsnl.net.in)
Wed, 31 Dec 1997 00:54:41 +0500
Hi all --
For some reason this Tennessee Williams poem has been buzzing around in my
head for days and since I may not be checking mail till after the New Year
day, which would also happen to be the birthday of our patron saint, and
since I have been kinda quiet, I thought I'd share this with you (I have
tried checking the copyright on this -- and hopefully it's okay, Tim? --
but apart from some old magazine where I had copied it from once, haven't
even seen it anthologised
-------------------------
Tennessee Williams
We have not long to love.
Light does not stay.
The tender things are those
we fold away.
Coarse fabrics are the ones
for common wear.
In silence I have watched you
comb your hair.
Intimate the silence,
dim and warm.
I could but did not, reach
to touch your arm.
I could, but do not, break
that which is still.
(Almost the faintest whisper
would be shrill.)
So moments pass as though
they wished to stay.
We have not long to love.
A night. A day....
-------------------
admittedly,
though I haven't
really been watching
any of you,
combing your hair,
silently or otherwise,
i thought some of you
may like this.
Happy New Year,
Sonny