though I sang in my chains like the sea

I have longed to move away
from the hissing of the spent lie
and the old terror's continual cry
growing more terrible as the day
goes over the hill into the deep sea;
I have longed to move away
from the repetition of salutes,
for there are ghosts in the air
and ghostly echoes on paper,
and the thunder of calls and notes.

I have longed to move away but am afraid;
some life, yet unspent, might explode
out of the old lie burning on the ground,
and, crackling in the air, leave me half-blind.
Neither by night's ancient fear,
the parting of hat from hair,
pursed lips at the receiver,
shall I fall to death's feather.
By these I would not care to die,
half convention and half lie.

- I have longed to move away, dylan thomas

dorothee schumacher, designer via theselby.com