A reflection on my students
They are so beautiful, and so very young
they seem almost to glitter with perfection,
these creatures that I briefly move among.
I never get to stay with them for long,
but even so, I view them with affection:
they are so beautiful, and so very young.
Poised or clumsy, placid or high-strung,
they’re expert in the art of introspection,
these creatures that I briefly move among-
And if their words don’t quite trip off the tongue
consistently, with just the right inflection,
they remain beautiful. And very young.
Still, I have to tell myself it’s wrong
to think of them as anything but fiction,
these creatures that I briefly move among-
Because, like me, they’re traveling headlong
in that familiar, vertical direction
that coarsens beautiful, blackmails young,
and turns to phantoms those I move among.
(Marilyn L. Taylor)
More Poetry from Marilyn L. Taylor:
Marilyn L. Taylor Poems based on Topics: Affection, Beauty, Art, Youth, Perfection- To the Mother of a Dead Marine (Marilyn L. Taylor Poems)
- At the End (Marilyn L. Taylor Poems)
- Reading the Obituaries (Marilyn L. Taylor Poems)
- The Blue Water Buffalo (Marilyn L. Taylor Poems)
- The Geniuses Among Us (Marilyn L. Taylor Poems)
- For Lucy, Who Came First (Marilyn L. Taylor Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Youth Poems, Beauty Poems, Art Poems, Perfection Poems, Affection PoemsBased on Keywords: expert, introspection, inflection, consistently, high-strung