Not to Keep
Robert Frost 1874 (San Francisco) – 1963 (Boston)
They sent him back to her. The letter came
Saying... And she could have him. And before
She could be sure there was no hidden ill
Under the formal writing, he was in her sight,
Living. They gave him back to her alive
How else? They are not known to send the dead
And not disfigured visibly. His face?
His hands? She had to look, and ask,
"What was it, dear?" And she had given all
And still she had all they had they the lucky!
Wasn’t she glad now? Everything seemed won,
And all the rest for them permissible ease.
She had to ask, "What was it, dear?"
"Enough,"
Yet not enough. A bullet through and through,
High in the breast. Nothing but what good care
And medicine and rest, and you a week,
Can cure me of to go again." The same
Grim giving to do over for them both.
She dared no more than ask him with her eyes
How was it with him for a second trial.
And with his eyes he asked her not to ask.
They had given him back to her, but not to keep.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 19, 2023
- 58 sec read
- 198 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AXXXXXXBXXXXX XXXXAXXXBX |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 935 |
Words | 198 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 13, 10 |
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"Not to Keep" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/30883/not-to-keep>.
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