since the majority of me

by Philip Larkin

Since the majority of me
Rejects the majority of you,
Debating ends forwith, and we
Divide. And sure of what to do

We disinfect new blocks of days
For our majorities to rent
With unshared friends and unwalked ways,
But silence too is eloquent:

A silence of minorities
That, unopposed at last, return
Each night with cancelled promises
They want renewed. They never learn.
_____________

Larkin's poems are frosty, delicate things. They are inspired by the chilly incipience of understanding, the cold clarity that comes with age. They are kept from freezing by the heat of remembrance.

There is a distinct memory that arises every so often, untrammeled by time. I did not discover its significance until I turned it round and round in my mind and realised I could not have asked for anything more in that moment; I would have given up anything for it but it was given to me freely, as all surprises, gifts and truly good things are.