A short five-lined poem titled "Alexander Throckmorton" in the Spoon River Anthology gives me pause to think and write. He says:
In youth my wings were strong and tireless,
But I did not know the mountains.
In age I knew the mountains
But my weary wings could not follow my vision -
Genius is wisdom and youth.
The author Edgar Lee Masters wrote about 244 fictional characters buried in the Spoon River cemetery, and this is one of my favorites, not because it is short (they all are), but because it portrays the reality for most of us.
I think back to a dreamy youth filled with unreachable goals. If it looked good at the time, I thought I could achieve it. Now, with all of the life experiences that have accumulated, I am more realistic; I know what's out there, but I do not have the energy to move on them.
