I was not a fan of English class until my junior year of high school...and even then it was less about the subject matter than it was about an awesome teacher.
Even so, a day of my sophomore English class will always be vivid in my mind. Because I was bored, I found myself flipping through my text book. As I flipped, I stumbled upon a poem that captivated me and has remained in the back of my mind ever since. I even copied it into my own book of poems--the place where I keep the stuff that I've written--so I have a permanent record of my 10th grade handwriting as it recorded the poem that would stick with me and influence my writing for the rest of my life--a poem that we didn't even study in class!
And what is this poem? It is called Colours and it is by Yevgeny Yevtushenko:
When your face
appeared over my crumpled life
at first I understood
only the poverty of what I have.
Then its particular light
on woods, on rivers, on the sea,
became my beginning in the coloured world
in which I had not yet had my beginning.
I am so frightened, I am so frightened,
of the unexpected sunrise finishing,
of revelations
and tears and the excitement finishing.
I don't fight it, my love is this fear,
I nourish it who can nourish nothing,
love's slipshod watchman.
Fear hems me in.
I am conscious that these minutes are short
and that the colours in my eyes will vanish
when your face sets.
What about you? What's your favorite poem and what's your story behind it? Please share! I'm in a poetic mood!
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