As it’s Wold Poem Day today, I thought it would be an appropriate day to share the very first poem that infected my life and inspired me in my journey to write from a very young age.

Poetry has always been my forte. I find it allows me to dig deep into my soul and express in an almost cryptic way, the true essence of what I am all about.

Robert Frost’s poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” earned him the 1924 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry award. It is a classic and it also celebrates the turning of seasons, so as we welcome Spring it is an opportune time to celebrate it.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature’s first green is gold

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

Robert Frost was Stevie Wonder’s favourite poet and the poem, “Nature’s First Green is Gold” (written in 1923) led to the creation of Stevie Wonder’s song, Stay Gold. The song is also from the soundtrack of my all time favourite movie, another classic, The Outsiders.

I have always thought it rather magical that my favourite poem, favourite song and favourite movie are so intrinsically connected. Such is the miracle of life, I guess…

Stay Gold

Seize upon that moment long ago

One breath away and there you will be

So young and carefree

Again you will see

That place in time…so gold

Steal away into that way back when

You thought that all would last forever

But like the weather

Nothing can ever…and be in time

Stay gold

But can it be

When we can see

So vividly

A memory

And yes you say

So must the day

Too fade away

And leave a ray of sun

So gold 

Life is but a twinkling of an eye

Yet filled with sorrow and compassion

thought not imagined

All things that happen

Will age too old

Though gold

In memory of my brother Wayne, who passed way too soon at the age of 21, just when his life had really opened up for him. The poem and the song lyrics were read out at his funeral and the words still bring tears to my eyes to this day…. He will forever, in my mind, Stay Gold.

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Relephant Link:

A Poem for the Left Behind, by Robert Frost.

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Author: Alex Myles

Editor: Emma Ruffin

Photo: Flickr