The porchlight coming on again,
Early November, the dead leaves
Raked in piles, the wicker swing
Creaking. Across the lots
A phonograph is playing Ja-Da.

An orange moon. I see the lives
Of neighbors, mapped and marred
Like all the wars ahead, and R.
Insane, B. with his throat cut,
Fifteen years from now, in Omaha.

I did not know them then.
My airedale scratches at the door.
And I am back from seeing Milton Sills
And Doris Kenyon. Twelve years old.
The porchlight coming on again.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Weldon Kees's poem 1926

1 Comment

  1. stephen kilborn says:

    i happened on this weldon kees poem while looking up a poem by carl sandburg. when i was in college i loved weldon kees. this poem is a good example.

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