Reliving the past

So, a few minutes ago I was clearing off one of my bookshelves. There's a bunch of old college books there, including a literary cannon. I hadn't pulled this out in years. So many cool short stories and poems, I promised I'd reread once I had the time. That time never came. For fifteen minutes today, I gave a small down payment on moments owed.

A friend once wrote a piece called "Nickels" about carrying change for things like that, dispensing them as we could, and finding peace with things we could not repay. At least I think that was the intent. It could have just been an ode to a favorite pet.

"Here nickels! Here boy!"

Anyway, I happened across a short poem:

Jenny kissed me when we met,
Jumping from the chair she sat in.
Time, you thief! who love to get
Sweets into your list, put that in.
Say I'm weary, say I'm sad;
Say that health and wealth have missed me;
Say I'm growing old, but add-
Jenny kissed me!
-Leigh Hunt.

pg, 479, Top 500 Poems, edited by William Harmon. Columbia University Press, 1992.

This isn't actually my college literary book, but you have a better chance of finding it for yourself here. I like this poem because it's so simple and short, unlike anything I write, it gets in and gets out. I tried writing one like this once, but it became so top heavy that the paper actually curled. Ok, not really. It curled only after I crumpled it up and threw it away.

Ok, back to my day. Return to your previously scheduled daydreaming, already in progress.