I shall not go again
by cricketjeff on October 3, 2009. © Jeff Green, All rights reserved
Years are not always kind,
the majestic oaks of memory
turn into fir and ash.
Beautiful enough,
but lessened and transformed
on these retrodden roads.
I shall not go again.
The wild wide river,
fish-filled and sea deep,
now seems unremarkable.
Pretty beneath an old bridge
but no home for pirates,
no barrier to invading armies.
I shall not go again
The deer no longer
sport fourteen point antlers,
don’t roar in the rut,
stand mighty in hidden valleys
but shyly beg for bread.
I shall not go again.
I ran and fought,
discovered distant lands,
conquered half the world, here ,
half a life ago
But now a beautiful forest
holds ghosts
of unremembered dreams
and forgotten promises.
I shall not go again.
English