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Thom Gunn: My Sad Captains

One by one they appear in
the darkness: a few friends, and
a few with historical
names. How late they start to shine!
but before they fade they stand
perfectly embodied, all

the past lapping them like a
cloak of chaos. They were men
who, I thought, lived only to
renew the wasteful force they
spent with each hot convulsion.
They remind me, distant now.

True, they are not at rest yet,
but now they are indeed
apart, winnowed from failures,
they withdraw to an orbit
and turn with disinterested
hard energy, like the stars.

1 thought on “Thom Gunn: My Sad Captains”

  1. for Janet – on her day of birth – 50 years before today!

    a rare few
    are born
    knowing

    knowing
    pre-birth
    meeting
    memories
    of before
    birth born

    life spent
    remembering
    knowledge

    reality
    purpose
    pre-birth

    life line
    live
    remembering
    purpose
    timing

    today!

    much love Janet x

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