Young Hearts upon a Massachusetts Plane

Young Hearts upon a Massachusetts Plane

More beautiful than ghost-like, they are real,

The skaters on the winter pond at night.

They swerve around and skim about on steel,

On circle (pond), make ovals as in flight,

December birds whose wings are skates along

The deepened ice, much deeper than the snow

Which fell in dark.  These birds do not have song

Except the quietest of notes, long, slow,

And nearly silent in their sweep above

The frozen slickness.  A composer could

Wish melodies from them could be like love

As much as these swift phrases.  Hollywood

Cannot compete.  Its shallowness is dry,

Baked summer pond.  These sounds are from on high.

Phillip Whidden