Sometimes it Happens

And sometimes it happens that you are friends and then
You are not friends,
And friendship has passed.
And whole days are lost and among them
A fountain empties itself.

And sometimes it happens that you are loved and then
You are not loved,
And love is past.
And whole days are lost and among them
A fountain empties itself into the grass.

And sometimes you want to speak to her and then
You do not want to speak,
Then the opportunity has passed.
Your dreams flare up, they suddenly vanish.

And also it happens that there is nowhere to go and then
There is somewhere to go,
Then you have bypassed.
And the years flare up and are gone,
Quicker than a minute.

So you have nothing.
You wonder if these things matter and then
As soon you begin to wonder if these things matter
They cease to matter,
And caring is past.
And a fountain empties itself into the grass.

-- Brian Patten

I tried to learn this poem by heart one day last summer, reading it and thinking it to myself for about eight hours (while I was doing a really boring job). I love reading poetry, but usually I read a poem or two, then think along these lines:

A. I don't like it
B. I like it. Now let me read it again to see if I really like it
C. It's boring
D. I don't understand it

Then I move on to something else.

Thinking about just one poem for a whole day was something completely different. I recommend it. The poem opened up in ways I didn't expect. Which I really liked. Also, it was great and kind of surprising that such a (at first glance) simple and not too long poem could keep me occupied for eight hours.