First and Second Figs / Edna St. Vincent Millay

First Fig

My candle burns at both ends;
    It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends —
    It gives a lovely light!

"First Fig" read for Readings in the Dark.

Second Fig

Safe upon the solid rock the ugly houses stand:
Come and see my shining palace built upon the sand!

~~
Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950)
from A Few Figs from Thistles, 1920

[Poems are in the public domain in Canada, the United States, and the European Union]

Edna St. Vincent Millay biography

"Second Fig" read for Readings in the Dark.