Time of Death // Raygan Boster

     There was a specific quote that really stuck out to me in these poems from Auden. The quote from his poem "As I Walked out One Evening". It states "In headaches and in worry / Vaguely life leaks away, / And Time will have his fancy / To-morrow or to-day." This really grabbed my attention because pretty much every adult that I have had a conversation with has said something along the lines of "don't take these moments for granted, life is short, and in a blink of an eye you're all grown up". Honestly, even though I'm only eighteen, I understand that there is so much truth to that. I believe that part of the reason it holds so much weight is because we as humans tend to spend so much of our time here worrying about various things. Some things are big deals like finances and jobs, others are more trivial like drama and whatnot. But we are always thinking and worrying about our next step or what's to come instead of actually just enjoying the place we are currently at in life, even if it isn't the greatest at the moment. Because of this we don't even see life "leaking away" and when we finally realize, it's too late to get that time back. We never know which day will be our last. Following this train of thought, it would be such a shame if we moved on before we truly got to really appreciate the life we lead. On top of that, who even knows if we will reach what we are so worried about. Not to be grim, but we truly never know so why stress so much over things? Obviously we should still care and prepare for our future, but taking a moment and truly living this life is so important. I don't want to wake up in 50 years regretting how I lived because I was so scared of what was to come. 

I commented on Isabelle Ferguson and Haylee Lynd's posts


Comments

  1. Emmett BryantJanuary 31, 2022 at 11:32 PM

    I agree! In the past few years as I'm approaching adulthood I've heard people tell me over and over "Life is short you're gonna miss it. Life is short you're gonna miss it." And honestly, they're right. As much fun as my life is right now and as much as I'm trying to enjoy it, if you move too fast and don't pay close attention then it'll pass you in an instant.
    -Emmett Bryant

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  2. IsabelleFebruary 1, 2022 at 9:31 AM

    Hi Raygan! Auden's poems resonated with me the same way you described. It seems like everyone during this time was feeling the effects of existentialism. "As I Walked Out One Evening" was definitely my favorite of Auden's poems, because it really captures the ticking of time and slowly losing our life's essence.

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