Wild Oats
Philip Larkin 1922 (Coventry) – 1985 (Hull)
About twenty years ago
Two girls came in where I worked—
A bosomy English rose
And her friend in specs I could talk to.
Faces in those days sparked
The whole shooting-match off, and I doubt
If ever one had like hers:
But it was the friend I took out,
And in seven years after that
Wrote over four hundred letters,
Gave a ten-guinea ring
I got back in the end, and met
At numerous cathedral cities
Unknown to the clergy. I believe
I met beautiful twice. She was trying
Both times (so I thought) not to laugh.
Parting, after about five
Rehearsals, was an agreement
That I was too selfish, withdrawn,
And easily bored to love.
Well, useful to get that learnt.
In my wallet are still two snaps
Of bosomy rose with fur gloves on.
Unlucky charms, perhaps.
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Submitted by RobertHaigh on August 05, 2020
Modified on April 22, 2023
- 42 sec read
- 63 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | XXXXXABA XBCXXXCX XXXXXDXD |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 761 |
Words | 140 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
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"Wild Oats" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/58708/wild-oats>.
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