Passers-By
Published in Poem Of The Day
Passers-by
Out of your many faces
Flash memories to me
Now at the day end
Away from the sidewalks
Where your shoe soles traveled
And your voices rose and blent
To form the city's afternoon roar
Hindering an old silence.
Passers-by,
I remember lean ones among you,
Throats in the clutch of a hope,
Lips written over with strivings,
Mouths that kiss only for love,
Records of great wishes slept with,
Held long
And prayed and toiled for:
Yes,
Written on
Your mouths
And your throats
I read them
When you passed by.
About this poem
"Passers-By" was published in Carl Sandburg's book "Chicago Poems" (H. Hold and Company, 1916).
About Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg was born in Galesburg, Ill., in 1878. He published numerous books of poetry and won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. Sandberg died in Flat Rock, N.C., in 1967.
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This poem is in the public domain. Distributed by King Features Syndicate
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