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Best Poems From
RICHARD BETTS
(December 8,1964)
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21.
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Fly
Years ago, when I was young,
I often dreamed I possessed the power to fly.
At night, I would shed the weight of my fears
And slip into the wonderful sky.
As I grew older, I discovered my ability to dream
Had been secretly stolen or snipped.
Like a bird denied his right to soar,
Time had found me and my wings were clipped.
Life succeeded in sneaking up on me,
And, over time, my heart succumbed to the pounding.
The lightness of the sky withdrew from me
And the evenings became heavy and grounded.
Still, I smile when I recall my dreams
And marvel at the magic of my childhood nights.
For now my sleep is grueling,
And my soul is too heavy to take flight.
I remember when I used to fly and soar,
My greatest fear was that I might fall.
Today, I have no such trepidation,
Because now I never dream at all.
Richard Betts
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22.
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Friends
I wish my old friends were truer,
And I wish I were truer to them.
Everything I know now,
I wish I knew way back then.
I've learned some friends will disappoint you,
Other times, it's you who will fail.
Some friends will move to other cities,
Others will walk the Appalachian Trail.
As time rushes by quickly,
And our memories fade and soften.
I remember those days,
And think of you often.
And if I seldom see you,
Or our paths never cross again.
I will count myself lucky
To have had you as my friend.
As days turn to years,
And years pass in a blink,
No matter what we do or who we become,
Our lives are forever linked.
Richard Betts
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23.
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Gray
Borders and bridges and battleships,
The lies that slip from your slithering lips.
The color that taints your suffering and sorrow.
The smile you steal and the laughter you borrow.
The escape you make from the sadness that seeks you.
The vows you break and the loneliness that meets you.
The love you have that falls broken and unanswered.
The sickness I feel from your small talk and banter.
The daring it takes to face the darkness before dawn.
The pathetic way you use people as pawns.
The strength I feel and the weakness you display,
When you lurk in the shadows and live life in the gray.
Richard Betts
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24.
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Guilt
How did I manage to make it?
How did I somehow survive?
I look at the others who perished,
And I ask myself, 'Why? '
Why was I so fortunate?
Why not me instead of them?
I often see their faces,
A silent roll call of our dead.
Nighttime is the hardest,
For my slumber is less than kind.
And carrying around these questions,
Weighs heavily on my mind.
Sleep comes hard, but when I sleep,
I always dream in red.
And lying there in the fields,
Are the scattered bodies of my friends.
When I walk by any garden,
All the flowers seem to wilt,
As if they are being crushed
By the weight of all my guilt.
Richard Betts
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