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Bronzed

By Dean Young b. 1955 Dean Young

That dusty bubble gum, once ubiquitous as starlings,

is no more, my love. Whistling dinosaurs now populate

only animation studios, the furious actions of angels

causing their breasts to flop out in mannerist

frescos flake away as sleet holds us in its teeth.

And the bus-station's old urinals go under

the grindstone and the youthful spelunkers

graduate into the wrinkle-causing sun. The sea

seemingly a constant to the naked eye is one

long goodbye, perpetually the tide recedes,

beaches dotted with debris. Unto each is given

a finite number of addresses, ditties to dart

the heart to its moments of sorrow and swoon.

The sword's hilt glints, the daffodils bow down,

all is temporary as a perfect haircut, a kitten

in the lap, yet sitting here with you, my darling,

waiting for a tuna melt and side of slaw

seems all eternity I'll ever need

and all eternity needs of me.

Source: Poetry (April 2005).

Biography

Poet Dean Young was born in Columbia, Pennsylvania, and received his MFA from Indiana University. Recognized as one of the most energetic, influential poets writing today, his numerous collections of poetry include Strike Anywhere (1995), winner of the Colorado Prize for Poetry; Skid (2002), finalist for the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize; Elegy on Toy Piano (2005), finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; and Primitive Mentor (2008), . . .

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