Dusty Answer
When I asked The old man Why he sat For so long In the sun, He replied:
"I shall be A long time Out of it."
Richard Warner Borst
SourceLicence:Public domain (US, unrenewed)
When I asked The old man Why he sat For so long In the sun, He replied:
"I shall be A long time Out of it."
A passer-by asks an old man a simple, slightly nosy question: why does he sit in the sun for so long? His answer is just as simple, and it lands with real weight. "I shall be / A long time / Out of it." Most readers will catch the meaning a beat after the words: he is talking about death, and the long stretch of darkness and absence that follows. Sitting in the warmth now is his way of taking in as much light as he can.
What makes the poem work is the calm. The old man doesn't complain or plead. He says it plainly, almost with a shrug, and that steadiness is what stings. The speaker, who only asked out of curiosity, gets far more than expected and seems to be left quietly stunned. The short lines mimic the exchange itself, brief and unadorned. The mood is gentle, wry, and quietly sad, with a small flicker of wisdom about enjoying what we have while we have it.