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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

We Have Not Long To Love

We Have Not Long To Love
BY TENNESSEE WILLIAMS


We have not long to love.
Light does not stay.
The tender things are those
we fold away.
Coarse fabrics are the ones
for common wear.
In silence I have watched you
comb your hair.
Intimate the silence,
dim and warm.
I could but did not, reach
to touch your arm.
I could, but do not, break
that which is still.
(Almost the faintest whisper
would be shrill.)
So moments pass as though
they wished to stay.
We have not long to love.
A night. A day....


Source: Poetry (February 1991).
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 25, 2011 at 9:33 AM

    Another of Tennessee Williams -- And another that is new to me. He apparently speeks of a short-time encounter between lovers - an afternoon tryst perhaps. There is no indication of the sex of the partners. And it can be read either way for sure.
    "Not Long to love" is incorrect in the case of my lover-husbnad and myself. We have cultivated our love for almost eight years and anticipate many more years to come. While an afternoon tryst is very short, and our love is not as ancient as some, we are looking forward to saying "We had a long time to love and we did!"

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownOctober 26, 2011 at 12:44 PM

    It's always better to take the risk and try and connect with someone, than to spend the rest of your life wondering what might have been.

    ReplyDelete

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