Sunday, August 9, 2009

Today's poem - The School in August by Philip Larkin


The School In August
by Philip Larkin


The cloakroom pegs are empty now,
And locked the classroom door,
The hollow desks are lined with dust,
And slow across the floor
A sunbeam creeps between the chairs
Till the sun shines no more.

Who did their hair before this glass?
Who scratched 'Elaine loves Jill'
One drowsy summer sewing-class
With scissors on the sill?
Who practised this piano
Whose notes are now so still?

Ah, notices are taken down,
And scorebooks stowed away,
And seniors grow tomorrow
From the juniors today,
And even swimming groups can fade,
Games mistresses turn grey.

More Philip Larkin on the blog here and here

2 comments:

  1. Wonderful....so late summer..

    was just talking to my husband this morning about school starting...a jr. college here starts next Monday,,,already...

    Where did it go?

    Have a great Sunday...

    Best,
    Kary

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Kary. I love his poems. Around here, when Labor Day is late, as it is this year, the schools begin in August. Doesn't seem right to me. :<)

    ReplyDelete

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