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Poetic First Lines Re-imagined for a Time of Self-Distancing
1. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” Robert Frost
Whose woods these are, I think I know
His house is still in lockdown, though
2. “Sea-Fever,” John Masefield
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky
But with all the travel restrictions, I can kiss that idea good-bye
3. “If,” Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs, and stealing T.P. from the loo
4. “Sailing to Byzantium,” W. B Yeats
That is no country for old men. The young
Keep social distance, birds watch Netflix
5. “Night Mail,” W. H Auden
This is the Night Mail crossing the border
Bringing the cheque and the quarantine order
6. “Zima Junction,” Yevgeny Yevtushenko
As we get older we get honester,
And hand sanitizer when we can find it
7. “La Belle Dame sans Merci,” John Keats
O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The bread is all gone from the shelves
And no birds sing.
8. “Fiesta Melons,” Sylvia Plath
In Benidorm there are melons,
Whole donkey-carts full
No good for wiping
9. “The World I Used to Know,” Rod McKuen
Someday some old familiar rain
Will come along and know my name
And tell me all the Spam is gone
And I’ll have to move along
10. “What is This Gypsy Passion for Separation?” Marina Tsvetaeva
What is this gypsy passion for separation, this
Readiness to rush off – when we’ve just met?
(I didn’t change a word of this one)
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