Time Gone By

Never Mind

Denver Butson

      that guests no longer come unannounced
      or that the photo album contains pictures
of much younger people than we remember being

     never mind that swallows etch Sanskrit
              on the wrinkled sky

                 it's November
     and the present is emptying its wine
                into our glasses

     never mind that we're not touching now

because our shadows are holding hands
         in the dark behind our backs


Every now and then I meet a poem that I really, really like.  When this happens, I can rarely explain my affection coherently.  Usually, these are by Merwin so coming across Never Mind was a real treat.  Each stanza contains such a strong central image that, combined with the others, do a fantastic job of illustrating the speaker's attitude toward aging and the passing of time.  On their own, the photo album pictures, swallows across the wrinkled sky, wine emptying into glasses, and shadows holding hands are subtle suggestions but together, they hammer it home for me.

I also really admire short poetry.  In so few words, inevitably so carefully chosen and crafted, the poet does an amazing job of getting us there.  Wherever "there" may be.