Then, When You Were Sweet Sixteen

Alan S Jeeves 1951 (Lancashire)



I recall a day, a sky-blue day,
Still in my head, yet far away.
When first you led my mind astray
And left me vanquished, come what may,
The day I saw you cool, serene;
When you were simply sweet sixteen.

For, as swinging years were new
And careless days, about us, grew
And you walked, sudden, into view
Along the leafy avenue.
The day I saw you cool, serene;
When you were simply sweet sixteen.

Your hair shone brightly in the light,
As noonday sun had reached its height;
As you came dancing into sight
And I would gaze, as well I might,
The day I saw you cool, serene;
When you were simply sweet sixteen.

I knew that from that moment, there,
A certain stirring charged the air
And by that lime tree yonder, where,
You passed me by without a care.
The day I saw you cool, serene;
When you were simply sweet sixteen.

And thoughts came flooding, unforeseen,
And such a day had never been.
Yet still, the thrill is evergreen
When you were, then, the Maytime Queen.
The day I saw you cool, serene;
When you were simply sweet sixteen.

About this poem

These five, strictly rhyming, sestets with refrain were inspired by an 1898 (pub.) Vaudeville song written by American James Thornton. The author wrote this piece in 2021.

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Submitted by AlanSJeeves on July 20, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

58 sec read
3

Quick analysis:

Scheme aaaaBB ccccBB ddddBB eeeeBB bxbbBB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,003
Words 195
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6

Alan S Jeeves

Alan S Jeeves is a Lancashire (England) born, Yorkshire based classical poet. more…

All Alan S Jeeves poems | Alan S Jeeves Books

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    "Then, When You Were Sweet Sixteen" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/105351/then,-when-you-were-sweet-sixteen>.

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