Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Summer Solstice Elves

Daybreak, 1922
by Maxfield Parrish, 1870 - 1966

A Summer Solstice Long Before Now

It cost you only the expense
of a single puckish summer night
to discover that elves, pixies,
or even old - fashioned angels
can't lead your life for you.

They are too inexperienced.

The most they can do is exclaim
in amazement at your follies,
then gasp in wonder at how
you manage to escape, your life intact.


~~from the Collected Poems
of Ernest Sandeen (1908 - 1997)
Notre Dame Professor and Poet

2 comments:

  1. My friend Eric Schlene writes: "An angel, despite its considerabe power and knowledge, is still in awe of man and our freewill."

    ReplyDelete
  2. My thoughts exactly!

    In fact, as I was typing up Profesor Sandeen's poem, I was thinking of the lyrics from "Children of Eden":

    "Of all the gifts we have received,
    One is most precious and most terrible:
    The will in each of us is free.
    It's in our hands."

    ReplyDelete