Passing the American graveyard, for my birthday
the crosses stuttering, white on tropical green,
the years’ quick focus of faces I do not remember . . .
The palm trees stalking like deliberate giants
for my birthday, and all the hot adolescent memories
seen through a screen of water . . .
For my birthday thrust into the adult and actual:
expected to perform the action, not to ponder
the reality beyond the fact,
the man standing upright in the dream.
(Kenneth Koch)
More Poetry from Kenneth Koch:
Kenneth Koch Poems based on Topics: Man, Reality, Dreams, Faces, Water, America, Birthdays, Facts, Actions- Bel Canto (Kenneth Koch Poems)
- Variations At Home And Abroad (Kenneth Koch Poems)
- To My Father's Business (Kenneth Koch Poems)
- Mountain (Kenneth Koch Poems)
- News (Kenneth Koch Poems)
- A Momentary Longing To Hear Sad Advice From One Long Dead (Kenneth Koch Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Man Poems, Faces Poems, Dreams Poems, Water Poems, Facts Poems, Actions Poems, America Poems, Reality Poems, Birthdays PoemsBased on Keywords: adolescent, stuttering