ONCE LATER
It is not until later
that you have to be young
it is one of the things
you meant to do later
but by then there is
someone else living there
with the shades rolled down
how could you have been young there
at that time
with all that was expected
then what happened to
the expectations
there is no sign of them there
a shadow passes across the window shade
what do they know in there
whoever they are
— W.S. Merwin, from his book Garden Time (Copper Canyon Press, 2016). Copyright © 2016 by W. S. Merwin.
Used by permission of the publishers, www.coppercanyonpress.org.
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Christopher Dunn says
“It is not until later
that you have to be young”
Indeed. Bob Dylan also said this well in “My Back Pages:”
“Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now.”
Paul says
l do not think you can compare this with What Bob Dylan was saying ..