Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, TWENTY-ONE: THE OLDER MAN, by WILLIAM A. PHELON


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

TWENTY-ONE: THE OLDER MAN, by                    
First Line: Could I be twenty-one again-
Last Line: Could I be twenty-one again!
Subject(s): Longing; Soldiers; World War I; Youth; First World War


Could I be twenty-one again—
Lithe, agile, sinewy, with eager eyes,
Looking on all the world as some rich prize,
Yet stepping joyously to seize the chance
Of royal battle in that far-off France—
Could I be twenty-one again!

Could I be twenty-one again—
God of our fathers, but I'd give
Wealth, and success, yes, and all else, to live
A youth once more, and have youth's ardor blaze
Through heart and soul amid these flaming days!
Could I be twenty-one again!

Could I be twenty-one again—
Turn back the clock—but no, it can not be—
Checked hard by age, I must stand by and see
As in a dream, the long, brown, charging line
Taking the Flag through—yes, your Flag and mine!
Could I be twenty-one again!





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