Skip to content

To leave the earth was my wish, and no will stayed my rising.
Early, before sun had filled the roads with carts
Conveying folk to weddings and to murders;
Before men left their selves of sleep, to wander
In the dark of the world like whipped beasts.

— Kenneth Patchen

Another quote →

More quotes by Kenneth Patchen

You, the woman; I, the man; this, the world:
And each is the work of all.

You, the sought for; I, the seeker; this, the search:
And each is the mission of all.

You, the village; I, the stranger; this, the road:
And each is the work of all.

Have you wondered why all the windows in heaven were
broken?
Have you seen the homeless in the grave of God's
hand?
Do you want to acquaint the larks with the fatuous
music of war?

The animal I wanted
Couldn't get into the world...
I can hear it crying
When I sit like this away from life.

All Kenneth Patchen quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Kenneth Patchen (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.