As many a junior higher may know from the mandatory viewing of The Outsiders — starring Matt Dillon, Emilo Estevez, Tom Cruise, and the rest of the now middle-aged man crew — Ponyboy's big to-do at the end is built up with this poem, furthering the notion that indeed nothing gold can stay, nothing green can stay, people don't live forever, and success can't last. This is all unfortunately true — and don't I know it.
But, I mentioned something about news: of course gold can stay! As many people know from the periodic table has a lovely Au (i.e. gold) in it. Well, that's because gold is an element that does not change.
Case closed, one of the greatest poets of 19th century America is victim to a bad metaphor, and all of us by default.
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