I Spent My Youth with Byron and the Bard

I spent my youth with Byron and the Bard,
With Tennyson, the Brownings, and dear Keats—
And full of passions, eager, trying hard
To imitate their lofty, noble feats,
I found it true: the human heart does pump
In echo of the pure iambic line—
And such a card as this I hope may trump
The dealings of my early days, less fine.

With practice, thoughtful minds may hope to pen
A verse as artful, pleasant as ‘tis true;
It may well be as yet beyond my ken
To follow right those poets I once knew.

Yet, sonnets in their form will still endure
While verse gives life t’ affections known and pure.

 

 

Another Kiss

In memory, I still recall
The last, the sweetest parting kiss;
And if I understood at all
The things not said, I’d be remiss
If I denied to you, withal,
The tender joy I found in this.

So, tell me with another glance,
A smile, a word, a breath, a blush,
That I saw right—caught in the dance
Of light and shadow and the rush—
That it need not be left to chance,
I’ll know again that tender hush.

 

 

Caleb Winebrenner is a storyteller, poet, and educator whose mission in life is to guide our discovery of our lost humanity (including the traditions of humanities in the West). He holds a BA in Linguistics, an MA in Educational Theatre, and a certificate in Transformative Language Arts. 

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4 Responses

  3. David Watt

    I thoroughly enjoyed both poems, especially the delightful “Another Kiss”.
    My only distraction was the “t’ ” in “t’ affections” within the concluding line of “I Spent my Youth With Byron and The Bard”. It may just be my personal preference, but I wonder if something along the lines of: “to passions”, which doesn’t require a contraction, would be a viable option.

    Reply
    • C.B. Anderson

      It’s not just your personal preference, David, it’s the damn truth. “t’ affections” is a gross monstrosity of English diction. Caleb needs to “recalebrate” his usages of the English language. Keep trying, Caleb. You have mastered the form, and someday you will master the art.

      Reply

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