Stephen Vincent Benet - Portrait of a Boy

Stephen Vincent Benet - Portrait of a Boy

After the whipping he crawled into bed, br Accepting the harsh fact with no great weeping. br How funny uncle's hat had looked striped red! br He chuckled silently. The moon came, sweeping br A black, frayed rag of tattered cloud before br In scorning; very pure and pale she seemed, br Flooding his bed with radiance. On the floor br Fat motes danced. He sobbed, closed his eyes and dreamed. br br Warm sand flowed round him. Blurts of crimson light br Splashed the white grains like blood. Past the cave's mouth br Shone with a large, fierce splendor, wildly bright, br The crooked constellations of the South; br Here the Cross swung; and there, affronting Mars, br The Centaur stormed aside a froth of stars. br Within, great casks, like wattled aldermen, br Sighed of enormous feasts, and cloth of gold br Glowed on the walls like hot desire. Again, br Beside webbed purples from some galleon's hold, br A black chest bore the skull and bones in white br Above a scrawled "Gunpowder!" By the flames, br Decked out in crimson, gemmed with syenite, br Hailing their fellows with outrageous names, br The pirates sat and diced. Their eyes were moons. br "Doubloons!" they said. The words crashed gold.


User: PoemHunter.com

Views: 17

Uploaded: 2014-11-07

Duration: 01:45

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