Question:
Can someone help me understand this poem?
As I Grew Older
It was a long time ago.
I have almost forgotten my dream.
But it was there then,
In front of me,
Bright like a sun--
My dream.
And then the wall rose,
Rose slowly,
Slowly,
Between me and my dream.
Rose until it touched the sky--
The wall.
Shadow.
I am black.
I lie down in the shadow.
No longer the light of my dream before me,
Above me.
Only the thick wall.
Only the shadow.
My hands!
My dark hands!
Break through the wall!
Find my dream!
Help me to shatter this darkness,
To smash this night,
To break this shadow
Into a thousand lights of sun,
Into a thousand whirling dreams
Of sun!
I think that it is talking about trying to accomplish your dream before its too late.
Is there something I am missing because I feel like I am.
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
I'd say that it's a bit more about growing older and realizing that the dreams you had in youth aren't going to come true for you, even as a part of you still clings to them.
The truth is, most people's lives go just that way. We all have grand dreams when we're young. Among the 2.5 million or so young people who will graduate from high school this year, there are certainly many thousands who think they could be President of the United States, thousands more who expect to become professional athletes or entertainers, astronauts, Nobel Prize-winners....Precious few will actually do those things. Most will reach middle age and realize it's never going to happen for them. (That realization may be the first stage of "getting old.")
Still, deep inside, those dreams can persist, and I think that's what this poet is addressing.
For me, a bit of luck did enter the picture after I thought my story had already been written, and a whole new life began for me---at 44. (Check out my blog, Koko.)