In Those Years - A poem by Adrienne Rich


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Adrienne Rich - In Those Years

In those years, people will say, we lost track
of the meaning of we, of you
we found ourselves
reduced to I
and the whole thing became
silly, ironic, terrible:
we were trying to live a personal life
and yes, that was the only life
we could bear witness to

But the great dark birds of history screamed and plunged
into our personal weather
They were headed somewhere else but their beaks and pinions drove
along the shore, through the rags of fog
where we stood, saying I

Added: on September 28th, 2005 at 11:07 AM | Viewed: 9978 times | Comments and analysis of In Those Years by Adrienne Rich Comments (2)

In Those Years - Comments and Information
Poet: Adrienne Rich (Adrienne Rich Art) Poem: In Those Years Comment 2 of 2, added on March 5th, 2009 at 3:56 PM. I first found this poem through a search I did in high school, around the year 2000, for Graduation-type things. Back then, I took the poem to mean a parting of ways. Over the years, the poem stuck with me; I'd look it up every once and a while, and its meaning changed for me over time. I late understood the work's intention to warn against getting too wrapped up in other people. It wasn't until recently that I've begun to understand it as a warning against getting too wrapped up in yourself. Laurie from United States Comment 1 of 2, added on September 28th, 2005 at 11:07 AM. this poem goes so to the heart of my sense of having lived in the 20th century. it is a friend from the 60s who led me to it, a friend with whom I share efforts to live an authentic personal life, with whom i have suffered the separation from "we", and with whom I continue to respond to the "dark birds of history" who demand our love for each other. dwight Eastman from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, In Those Years, has received 2 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Adrienne Rich with others on the American Poems poetry forum!

Poem Info
Poet: Adrienne Rich Poem: In Those Years Last read: Nov 21 2009, 8:19PM Viewed 9978 times. Added on September 28th, 2005 at 11:07 AM.

Rich Info
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