101 Poems, Number 25

Favorite Poems Throughout My Life

25: “When I Was Young and Poor,” in Evidence, 2009, by Mary Oliver (1935–)

A short one here from Oliver—

On whom we all should now confer

Much admiration. (You concur?)

It tells how swiftly life goes by—

A blink or two, a darkening sky—

And then, of course, you cease. You die.

But when you’re young, you just don’t think

This can occur. You eat, you drink.

And then your life begins to shrink—

You hurl some questions into air—

And hope, perhaps, someone will care

Before your bough of life is bare.

Link to poem.