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Can anyone tell me what this poem means?

And…and so it goes:

As the thread outlasts the spool,

So the thorn, the rose.

Time observes its rule:

Each instant leaps back into

The dark lilied pool.

It sprang from. Each blue

Tile along the garden wall

Ends where it has to go

End, in a thin scrawl

Of grout that marks out its grave.

Summer comes to fall.

Though breathing and brave,

The sentence stops, that must burn

The air in its cave.

Thus our great concern –

Feeling shut in by the wall

Of our own pattern –

Seems quite natural:

Even with some makeshift plan,

How to keep it all

Going, how to fan

The embers of aftermath

Up now into an

Even flame – not wrath

Nor sudden lust yielded to –

But light on a path

That would continue

Until some kind of an end

Crept up into view

From around the bend

Or straight toward us from the dark

Who but would extend

That path, keep the spark

Still left glowing, nursed along

A last walk through stark

Finality? (Strong

Last words will count more than fond

5 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    thread, thorns: the outward effects of our decisions last longer than the decisions we make. time observes through air in its cave speaks of everything done goes into history, into the large abyss of nothing more than a memory, a shadow in the past that disappears. Thus our great concern through stark finality to me speaks of being held in bondage on earth by our own cultures, habits, lifestyles and for what? A reason for life, a reason for existence besides a predictable mundane life. A life looking for light on the dark path of life. Strong last words through fond to me speaks of how we finish life is more important than how we started it.

  • 1 decade ago

    I am not going to give you a full analysis of this poem, but I will give you a few questions to guide you.

    What imagery does the author use? What purpose does this imagery serve?

    What literary devices does the author employ and why?

    How does the line division effect the flow of the poem? Why would the author choose to write the poem this way?

    Pay attention to the author and what time period he/she was from. Remember to always relate everything back to the author's purpose!

    Good luck!

  • 1 decade ago

    The poem tells how all life evolves and comes to an end but that it is human nature to try to extend that life for as long as we can, not wanting it to end because the end is so final.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    this is a real good poem. very scriptive.

    it seems like it means someones life.

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  • 1 decade ago

    Its about time and its effect on us - our transience and limitations.

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