Story
Story - meaning Summary
Escape Becomes Another Illusion
A man, weary of the landscape and memories of his youth, abandons his small village and moves south seeking reinvention. There he finds a congenial, imagined community that reflects his desires; he projects roles onto its people and inhabits a mirage of belonging. Occasionally he recalls the old village, but those memories fade. The poem sketches how escape can become self-deception and how memory blunts with age.
Read Complete AnalysesTired of a landscape known too well when young: The deliberate shallow hills, the boring birds Flying past rocks; tired of remembering The village children and their naughty words, He abandoned his small holding and went South, Recognised at once his wished-for lie In the inhabitants' attractive mouth, The church beside the marsh, the hot blue sky. Settled. And in this mirage lived his dreams, The friendly bully, saint, or lovely chum According to his moods. Yet he at times Would think about his village, and would wonder If the children and the rocks were still the same. But he forgot all this as he grew older.
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