Every Child Should Know a Hill
Every child should know a hill,
And the clean joy of running down its long slope
With the wind in his hair.
He should know a tree . . .
The comfort of its cool lap of shade,
And the supple strength of its arms
Balancing him between earth and sky
So he is a creature of both.
He should know bits of singing water . . .
The strange mysteries of its depths,
And the long sweet grasses that border it.
Every child should know some scrap
Of uninterrupted sky, to shout against;
And have one star, dependable and bright,
For wishing on.
by Edna Casler Joll (1944)
Edna May Joll was born as Edna May Casler on 1 February 1908 in South Dakota, United States of America. She was married to John Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Joll. She became a children’s poetry writer. Edna May Joll passed on at 55 years of age on 25 September 1963 in Ada County, Idaho, United States of America.
Every child should know a hill,
And the clean joy of running down its long slope
With the wind in his hair.
He should know a tree . . .
The comfort of its cool lap of shade,
And the supple strength of its arms
Balancing him between earth and sky
So he is a creature of both.
He should know bits of singing water . . .
The strange mysteries of its depths,
And the long sweet grasses that border it.
Every child should know some scrap
Of uninterrupted sky, to shout against;
And have one star, dependable and bright,
For wishing on.
by Edna Casler Joll (1944)
Edna May Joll was born as Edna May Casler on 1 February 1908 in South Dakota, United States of America. She was married to John Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Joll. She became a children’s poetry writer. Edna May Joll passed on at 55 years of age on 25 September 1963 in Ada County, Idaho, United States of America.