“In silence the heart raves. It utters words
Meaningless, that never had
A meaning.”

—  Robert Penn Warren

"True Love"
Context: In silence the heart raves. It utters words
Meaningless, that never had
A meaning. I was ten, skinny, red-headed,
Freckled. In a big black Buick,
Driven by a big grown boy, with a necktie, she sat
In front of the drugstore, sipping something
Through a straw. There is nothing like
Beauty. It stops your heart. It
Thickens your blood. It stops your breath. It
Makes you feel dirty. You need a hot bath.
I leaned against a telephone pole, and watched.
I thought I would die if she saw me.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Robert Penn Warren 49
American poet, novelist, and literary critic 1905–1989

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