With Apology to Keats

Here’s a lyrical poem with a recall of Keats, in Different Truths. Elsy’s interpretation is interesting.

There is many a slip
between the cup and the lip,
so the aphorism goes.

Sipping the cup is bliss,
slipping the cup is woe,
so do most presume.

Present, scans the past,
with a smile in one eye,
and a tear in the other,

sizing up gains and loss.
Hindsight steps in
silently asserting,

“gaining what one wants
may become one’s want,
losing what one wants,
may perhaps be a chance”!

At times, it is luckier
to have the cup slip,
before a chance to sip.

Sipped cups are sweet,
those unsipped are sweeter!

©Elsy Satheesan

Pix from Net.

author avatar
Elsy Satheesan
Elsy Satheesan is a retired Professor of English. She had been teaching in colleges under the Govt. of Kerala, India. Currently, she resides in Virginia, USA. ‘Random Musings’ is her first volume of poems. ‘Summer Snow’, is the forthcoming one. Her poems have been published in national and international anthologies. Short stories in Malayalam have been published in weekly and fortnightly, in Kerala. Humanity is her religion, and poetry, her passion.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Releated Posts

A Sad Neurological Perspective on Metaphorical Pain

Kushal’s poem is a surreal encounter with a neurologist, a hidden cactus, and a smile that embodies both…

ByByKushal PoddarMar 3, 2025

Focus: Golden Dates, FOMO, and Lethal Doctors

Brown gold dated Saudi is the place to be if you havethe money and the time.But, what if…

ByByShail RaghuvanshiMar 1, 2025

Whispers of the Earth: Three Seasons

Prof Malashri’s poems capture seasonal shifts: vibrant spring marigolds, scorching summer whirlwinds, and a polluted, rainless monsoon, each…

ByByProf Malashri LalFeb 28, 2025

Focus: Missed Earthquake, Was My Dream a Warning Sign?

Tirtho’s poem, exclusively for Different Truths, depicts a violent earth split and a smooth, altered surface after a…

ByByTirtho BanerjeeFeb 27, 2025