Affirmation Poem by Donald Hall
Affirmation
To grow old is to lose everything.
Aging, everybody knows it.
Even when we are young,
we glimpse it sometimes, and nod our heads
when a grandfather dies.
Then we row for years on the midsummer
pond, ignorant and content. But a marriage,
that began without harm, scatters
into debris on the shore,
and a friend from school drops
cold on a rocky strand.
If a new love carries us
past middle age, our wife will die
at her strongest and most beautiful.
New women come and go. All go.
The pretty lover who announces
that she is temporary
is temporary. The bold woman,
middle-aged against our old age,
sinks under an anxiety she cannot withstand.
Another friend of decades estranges himself
in words that pollute thirty years.
Let us stifle under mud at the pond's edge
and affirm that it is fitting
and delicious to lose everything.
I have to re-read the poem before I appreciate how true it is in my life today at age 60
Why delicious and fitting to lose everything, you ask? Maybe because only in losing it can you claim you ever had it. Everything and every person is temporary and temporarily having something or knowing someone is the is the best you'll ever get. The alternative is never having it at all. Reminds me of another poem called One Art, by Elizabeth Bishop.
Old age and death is inevitable. One should remain prepared to face it. Very nice poem. Thanks for sharing.
The journey of life witnessing sudden departure of the loved ones and finally forcing us to affirm the ultimate reality. Well deserved modern poem of the Day.
Great thoughts to ponder about. A discerning write.
Happiest that this poem is chosen again as The Modern Poem Of The Day. Thank you so much Poemhunter and Team
I shall repeat my previous response here: It suggests that as we grow old, we lose everything, including our loved ones, friends, and even ourselves. The poem also highlights the importance of accepting this loss and finding beauty in it.
Most deseerving as The Modern POem Of The Day. CONGRATULATIONS! And Thanks for sharing this educative poem
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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1/24/2025 3:09:23 PM # 1.0.0
While this might not read as his best poem, the sentiment is still worth considering. For me at least it is a caution to avoid becoming too enamored of attachments in life. Certainly this is true for material goods. And, at least for me, it is a caution to avoid objectifying relationships. I know I am more at peace when I focus on conduct, and act according to my beliefs (e.g., by choosing to act with compassion when ever and however I can) . Given that I am far from perfect, and thus have much comparative experience, I do know I am happier when I act with compassion toward others rather than behave in an acquisitive manner toward others. In this light I see “Affirmation” as a work of warning even regret.