I have longed to move away

[wester]

I recently sent someone this poem by Dylan Thomas. It's always been on of my favorites. I haven't read it in a while, but today I find myself reading it again and again, amazed at its powerful tone. I know there's a section for poetry, but this poem, with its emotional content, speaks to the problems I read about on this site. The desire to change, fear of change, living a meaningful life, this poem sums it all up. I hope it evokes as much raw feeling in all of you as it does me.

 

I have longed to move away

 

I have longed to move away

From the hissing of the spent lie

And the old terrors' continual cry

Growing more terrible as the day

Goes over the hill into the deep sea;

I have longed to move away

From the repetition of salutes,

For there are ghosts in the air

And ghostly echoes on paper,

And the thunder of calls and notes.

 

I have longed to move away but am afraid;

Some life, yet unspent, might explode

Out of the old lie burning on the ground,

And, crackling into the air, leave me half-blind.

Neither by night's ancient fear,

The parting of hat from hair,

Pursed lips at the receiver,

Shall I fall to death's feather.

By these I would not care to die,

Half convention and half lie.

[Clementine orange]

That is a powerful poem. One can feel the angst of the writer trying to escape things. I wonder if this was written before he was married or after?

I think I will go drown my personal sorrows in Whisky Sours as he would have.

 

Personally I wish I had 1/10 the angst of Dylan and 1/10 of the talent.

 

I have longed to move away but am afraid;

Some life, yet unspent, might explode

[wester]

That is a powerful poem. One can feel the angst of the writer trying to escape things. I wonder if this was written before he was married or after?

I think I will go drown my personal sorrows in Whisky Sours as he would have.

 

Personally I wish I had 1/10 the angst of Dylan and 1/10 of the talent.

 

I have longed to move away but am afraid;

Some life, yet unspent, might explode

 

Very well put. I have a funny feeling he was married when he wrote this. Just a guess.

[Clementine orange]

Very well put. I have a funny feeling he was married when he wrote this. Just a guess.

 

Well rumour has it that there was some infidelities on both sides of the marriage. I can't image he would be an easy man to live with. Though...some women will say that no man is easy to live with.

[wester]

Yeah, but Thomas was a raging alcoholic. Probably harder to deal with than most.