January 2026

I Shall Forget You Presently, My Dear (Sonnet IV) by Edna St. Vincent Millay

By Jim Hendrick
Posted: 11/15/2024

I shall forget you presently, my dear,
So make the most of this, your little day, Your little month, your little half a year,
Ere I forget, or die, or move away,
And we are done forever; by and by
I shall forget you, as I said, but now,
If you entreat me with your loveliest lie
I will protest you with my favourite vow.
I would indeed that love were longer-lived. 
And oaths were not so brittle as they are. 
But so it is, and nature has contrived
To struggle on without a break thus far,
Whether or not we find what we are seeking,
Is idle, biologically speaking.

🤗🤗😳🤔🤔😝🫣🫣😁 This poem was read by Dan Golden at A Poetry Gathering