Linda Pastan
Linda Pastan (1932-present) is an American Jewish poet raised in New York City. She has lived most of her life in Potomac, Maryland and was the Poet Laureate of Maryland from 1991-1995. Educated at Radcliffe College, Pastan has written 15 books of poetry, often involving themes of motherhood, family life, the female experience, aging, loss and fear of loss, and death. Source
25th High School Reunion
We come to hear the endings
of all the stories
in our anthology
of false starts:
how the girl who seemed
as hard as nails
was hammered
into shape;
how the athletes ran
out of races;
how under the skin
our skulls rise
to the surface
like rocks in the bed
of a drying stream.
Look! We have all
turned into
ourselves.
Published:
1998
Length:
Shorty
Literary Movements:
Contemporary
Anthology Years:
2024
Themes:
Childhood & Coming of Age
Literary Devices:
Alliteration
the repetition of the same letter or sound at the beginning of words appearing in succession
Imperative
an instruction or a command
Simile
a comparison between two unlike things using the words “like” or “as”
Varied Punctuation
diverse use of punctuation.