Around the Corner by Charles Hanson Towne

Around the Corner
by
Charles Hanson Towne

Around the corner I have a friend,

In this great city that has no end;

Yet days go by, and weeks rush on,

And before I know it, a year is gone,

And I never see my old friend's face,

For Life is a swift and terrible race.

He knows I like him just as well

As in the days when I rang his bell

And he rang mine. We were younger then,

And now we are busy, tired men:

Tired with playing a foolish game,

Tired with trying to make a name.

"Tomorrow," I say, "I will call on Jim,

Just to show that I'm thinking of him."

But tomorrow comes--and tomorrow goes,

And the distances between us grows and grows.
Around the corner!--yet miles away . . .
"Here's a telegram, sir . . ."

"Jim died today."

And that's what we get, and deserve in the end:

Around the corner, a vanished friend.

This poem is in the public domain.

Charles Hanson Towne (1877-1949) was an author, editor, professor, and poet. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, his family moved to New York City when Charles was just a toddler. By the time he was eleven, Charles was writing and publishing his own magazine; he grew up to edit several of New York's most esteemed periodicals, including Harper’s Bazaar.

pawa:
Always one of my favorites.
Posted 08/17/2022 01:53 PM

bebdbdb:
b kb
Posted 11/04/2021 07:51 PM

emily9746@aol.com:
This so true we shouldn't let things get in the way and yet we all do.
Posted 09/29/2019 01:04 PM

mayonaise:
this is spooooooo saddddd
Posted 04/30/2019 05:22 PM

Marilyn Barber:
I now live in that season of life and feel the pain, but also the JOY of having known that true friend. The Lord Jesus Christ now comforts me as I take each step! Marilyn Barber 3-5-2019
Posted 03/05/2019 01:18 PM

nadia ibrashi:
Wise and beautiful.
Posted 07/10/2011 03:38 PM

Katrina:
ouch!
Posted 07/10/2011 10:27 AM

dianapoet:
So true. Grateful for friends.
Posted 07/10/2011 09:11 AM

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