HIGH WINDOWS 

“Bonds and gestures pushed to one side
Like an outdated combine harvester”
—Philip Larkin, High Widows
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The high C of E windows—
The sunset stained glass

And beyond it the shadows—
Maplewood Cemetery waiting
_________

Everyone old dreams—
About it in the evenings

Jobs and families pushed to—
One side now that it’s time
_________

Like some outdated John Deere—
Combine harvester left to rust

A Chevy pickup in a field—
Abandoned in overgrown weeds
_________

Happiness evades us as the—
Here & now rules ruthlessly

Possessing us unthinkingly—
As if it would like last forever