Make Fun Of Life! - Nature

Earth’s Voices

11/1/2024

Picture of a blackbird perched on a tree branch, and the words, ‘Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net.’

Earth Voices

Earth’s voice for gossip
     is bees.
For all her sighing she
     uses trees.
North wind is best to make
     a groan,
Wind and old houses or wind
     alone.
Earth whispers low with a
     snowflake
For a quiet smile she likes
     a lake
Roaring she leaves
     to hurricanes.
Weeping is done with
     winter rains.
Murmuring’s a task for
     a summer sea.
For singing she sometimes
     uses me.

by Jessamyn West

Mary Jessamyn West McPherson was born on 18 July 1902 near North Vernon, Indiana, United States of America. She was Quaker by faith. She became a writer of short stories and novels. She is known for her novel, “The Friendly Persuasion” (1945), among other works. Mary Jessamyn West McPherson passed on at 81 years of age on 23 February 1984 in Napa, California, United States of America.

Look Up

8/27/2024

Picture of a stream flowing through a wilderness of green leafy trees, with a blue sky and fluffy white clouds above, mountains in the distance, and the words, ‘Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net.’

Look Up

I saw a little muddy stream
     That turned to fairest blue,
Because the surface caught the gleam
     Of heaven’s azure blue.

And so this life, whate’er it be,
     Might turn to Heaven fair,
If we would lift our eyes and see
     The beauty everywhere.

By Author Unknown

The Star

8/12/2023

Picture of a wilderness area, with tall evergreen trees, a star-filled night sky overhead, and the words, ‘Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net.’

The Star

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
     How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high,
     Like a diamond in the sky.

When the blazing sun is set,
     When the grass with dew is wet,
Then you show your little light,
     Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveler in the dark,
     Thanks you for your tiny spark;
He could not see which way to go
     If you did not twinkle so.

In the dark blue sky you keep,
     And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye
     Till the sun is in the sky.

As your bright and shiny spark,
     Lights the traveler in the dark,
Though I know not what you are,
     Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

By Jane Taylor: as published in “Rhymes for the Nursery” (1806), a compilation of poems by Jane Taylor and her sister Ann Gilbert (maiden name Taylor)

Jane Taylor was born on 23 September 1783 in London, England, as one among an extensive literary family. She became an essayist, a playwright, a short story writer, a novelist, and a poet. Jane Taylor worked as an editor and writer for “Youth’s Magazine.” She is known as the author of the song, “The Star” (1806), also known as, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” and the poem, “The Violet,” among other works. Jane Taylor passed on at 40 years of age on 13 April 1824.

The Forget Me Not

12/23/2020

The Forget Me Not

There is a sweet, a lovely flower,
     Tinged deep with faith’s unchanging hue,
Pure as the ether in its hour
     Of loveliest and serenest blue.
The streamlet’s gentle side it seeks,
     The silent fount, the shaded grot;
And sweetly to the heart it speaks
     Forget-me-not, forget-me-not.

See the flowers, how they grow;
     Hear the winds that gently blow.
Bird and insect, flower and tree,
     Know they must not idle be;
Each has something it must do
     Little children, so must you.
Oh, this sweet and lovely flower
     Forget-me-not, forget-me-not.

by Author Unknown

Open Your Eyes

12/15/2020

Open Your Eyes

Open your eye that you may see
     The beauty that around you lies,
The misty loveliness of the dawn,
     The glowing colors of the skies;

The Child’s bright eager eyes of blue,
     The gnarled and wrinkled face of age,
The bird with crimson on his wing
     Whose spirit never knew a cage;

The roadsides blooming goldenrod
     So brave through summer’s wind and heat,
The brook that rushes to the sea
     With courage that naught may defeat.

Open your eyes that you may see
     The wonder that around you lies;
It will enrich your every day
     And make you glad and kind and wise.

by Emma Boge Whisenand

Heart to Heart

11/30/2020

Heart to Heart

A little trouble came my way,
    It made a really gloomy day
          And I believed it came to stay.

And then I told it to the trees,
     The singing birds, the humming bees,
          And all such gladsome things as these.

A babbling brook gave listening ear,
     A robin hushed his song to hear,
          And whispering breeze hovered near.

When thus my secret I let fall,
     The trouble somehow grew so small
          That I could find it not at all.

by Lydia Alice Sheets: as published in Monta H. Crane and Selma Shepherd Downey, compilers: “Sunshine and Shadows” (1973), ‘Book II - Scattered Sunshine, Beauty and Nature,’ page 153

The Pebble and the Acorn

2/16/2020

The Pebble and the Acorn

“I am a Pebble! and yield to none!”
Were swelling words of a tiny stone,
“Nor time nor season can alter me;
I am abiding, while ages flee.
The pelting hail and the drizzling rain
Have tried to soften me, long, in vain;
And the tender dew has sought to melt,
Or touch my heart; but it was not felt.
There’s none that can tell about my birth,
For I’m as old as the big, round earth.
The children of men arise, and pass
Out of the world, like the blades of grass;
And many a foot on me has trod,
That’s gone from sight, and under the sod!
I am a Pebble! but who art thou,
Rattling along from the restless bough?”
The Acorn was shocked at this rude salute,
And lay for a moment abashed and mute;
She never before had been so near
This gravelly ball, the mundane sphere;
And she felt for a time at a loss to know
How to answer a thing so coarse and low.
But to give reproof of a nobler sort
Than the angry look, or the keen retort.
At length she said, in a gentle tone,
“Since it has happened that I am thrown
From the lighter element, where I grew,
Down to another, so hard and new,
And beside a personage so august,
Abased, I will cover my head with dust,
And quickly retire from the sight of one
Whom time, nor season, nor storm, nor sun,
Nor the gentle dew, nor the grinding heel
Has ever subdued, or made to feel!”
And soon, in the earth, she sunk away
From the comfortless spot where the Pebble lay.
But it was not long ere the soil was broke
By the peering head of an infant oak!
And, as it arose and its branches spread,
The Pebble looked up, and wondering said,
“A modest Acorn! never to tell
What was enclosed in its simple shell;
That the pride of the forest was folded up
In the narrow space of its little cup!
And meekly to sink in the darksome earth,
Which proves that nothing could hide her worth!
And oh! how many will tread on me,
To come and admire the beautiful tree,
Whose head is towering towards the sky,
Above such a worthless thing as I!
Useless and vain, a cumberer here,
I have been idling from year to year.
But never, from this, shall a vaunting word
From the humbled Pebble again be heard,
Till something without me or within,
Shall show the purpose for which I’ve been!”
The Pebble its vow could not forget,
And it lies there wrapt in silence yet.

by Hannah Flagg Gould

Hannah Flagg Gould was born on 3 September 1789 in Lancaster, Massachusetts, United States of America. She became a poet. Hannah Flagg Gould passed on at 76 years of age on 5 September 1865 in Newburyport, Massachusetts, United States of America.

Were I the Sun

2/12/2020

Were I the Sun

I’d always shine on holidays
     Were I the Sun;
On sleepy heads I’d never gaze,
     But focus all my morning rays
On busy folks of hustling ways,
     Were I the Sun.

I would not melt a sledding snow,
     Were I the Sun;
Nor spoil the ice where skaters go,
     Nor help those useless weeds to grow,
But hurry melons on you know,
     Were I the Sun.

I’d warm the swimming pool just right,
     Were I the Sun;
On school-days I would hide my light.
     The Fourth I’d always give you bright,
Nor set so soon on Christmas night,
     Were I the Sun.

I would not heed such paltry toys,
     Were I the Sun -
Such work as grown up men employs;
     But I would favor solld joys -
In short I’d run the world for boys,
     Were I the Sun!

by Author Unknown

My Magic Shell

11/27/2019

My Magic Shell

Pink shells, white shells, and
     shells colored blue;
Smooth shells, crinkled shells,
     old shells and new;
Striped shells, and plain
     shells lift by the tide;
My shell is magic - the sea
     sings inside.

by Author Unknown

Nature And Wildlife

6/30/2019

Here we see some of the basic elements of nature: water, rocks, feathers, and fur.

Wild Beasts

I will be a lion
     And you shall be a bear,
And each of us will have a den
     Beneath a nursery chair;
And you must growl and growl and growl,
     And I will roar and roar,
And then - why, then - you’ll growl again,
     And I will roar some more!

by Evaleen Stein

“To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.” -Helen Keller (Helen Adams Keller (1880 - 1968))

“There are sharks in the water, bears in the woods, and snakes in the grass - watch your step.” -Author Unknown

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature, and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.” -Anne Frank (1929 - 1945): “The Diary of a Young Girl” (1952)

“Life is a struggle, and all creatures great and small have evolved in fantastic ways to survive in this struggle. It is not necessary to travel to exotic places to enjoy nature. Every backyard woodlot or neighborhood stream abounds with living creatures with interesting stories to tell.” -Author Unknown

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” -William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616): “Troilus and Cressida,” iii, 3

“Nature is ever at work building and pulling down, creating and destroying, keeping everything whirling and flowing, allowing no rest but in rhythmical motion, chasing everything in endless song out of one beautiful form into another.” -John Muir (1838 - 1914): “Our National Parks” (1901), Chapter 3, last paragraph

“People often consider their positions in society, but we each also have our place in nature. Even our human civilization exists within nature, and can exist nowhere else.” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)

“My recollection of a hundred lovely lakes has given me blessed release from care and worry and the troubled thinking of our modern day. It has been a return to the primitive and the peaceful.” -Hamlin Garland (1860 - 1940)

“You can’t be suspicious of a tree, or accuse a bird or a squirrel of subversion or challenge the ideology of a violet.” -Hal Borland (Harold Glen ‘Hal’ Borland (1900 - 1978)): “Sundial of the Seasons” (1964)

“Nature is the art of God.” -Dante Alighieri (also known as Durante degli Alighieri or simply Dante (about 1265 - 1321))

Tips for a Nature Walk
- Take a friend for safety and companionship.
- Tell other people when and where you are going and when you expect to return.
- Stick to the path - walking off the path kills plants, frightens animals, and causes soil erosion.
- Take a quality camera, a fully charged cell phone, and a bottle of water. Turn the cell phone off.
- Do not approach wild animals, but admire them from a distance. You may have heard that wild animals are more afraid of you than you are of them, and this may be true, but it is also true that they can seriously hurt you or worse if they feel threatened or if you are in their territory.
- If you like would your nature trail to be clean of trash, take a small trash bag with you on your nature walk and pick up any trash you find along the way.
- If you take your pet, keep it on its leash so it does not chase and hurt other animals. Pets sometimes do not fit in with wild animals, because they have had some of their survival sense bred out of them and likely lack experience in dealing with wild animals, so ideally, pets should not be taken into the wild.
- Listen with your ears, see with your eyes, feel with your feet.
- Can you think of other tips for a nature walk?

Agrizoophobia is a persistent fear of wild animals. Perhaps the way to overcome the phobia is through unleashing your inner wild animal. Start by growling, then follow that by making other wild animal sounds.

The force that makes the Winter grow
     Its feathered hexagons of snow,
And drives the bee to match at home
     Their calculated honeycomb,
Is abacus and rose combined.
     An icy sweetness fills my mind,
A sense that under thing and wing
     Lies, taut yet living, coiled, the Spring.
-Jacob Bronowski

“Those who believe in the ‘balance of nature’ are those who don’t get eaten.” -Charles M. Schulz (Charles Monroe ‘Sparky’ Schulz (1922 - 2000))

“Man’s heart, away from nature, becomes hard.” -Standing Bear

But in the mud and scum of things
     There always, always something sings.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

“No one should be able to enter a wilderness by mechanical means.” -Garrett Hardin: as quoted in “The Ecologist” (February 1974)

“Discover wildlife, have children.” -Author Unknown

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The North Wind Doth Blow

The North Wind doth blow,
     And we shall have snow,
And what shall the poor robin do then?
     Poor thing!

He’ll sit in the barn,
     And keep himself warm,
And hide his head under his wing,
     Poor thing!

The North Wind doth blow,
     And we shall have snow,
And what will the dormouse do then?
     Poor thing!

Rolled up like a ball,
     In his nest snug and small,
He’ll sleep till warm weather comes in.
     Poor thing!

by Author Unknown

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“Those who wish to pet and baby wild animals, love them. But those who respect their natures and wish to let them live normal lives, love them more.” -Edwin Way Teale

“We talk of our mastery of nature, which sounds very grand; but the fact is we respectfully adapt ourselves first, to her ways.” -Clarence Day (1874 - 1935): “This Simian World” (1920)

“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things in nature have a message you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.” -Eleanora Duse

“God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees, and flowers, and clouds, and stars.” -Martin Luther (1483 - 1546)

“The world has enough beautiful mountains and meadows, spectacular skies and serene lakes. It has enough lush forests, flowered fields, and sandy beaches. It has plenty of stars and the promise of a new sunrise and sunset every day. What the world needs more of is people to appreciate and enjoy it.” -Michael Josephson

“Though you drive away Nature with a pitchfork, she always returns.” [English translation]
“Naturam expellas furca tamen usque recurret.” [original Latin]
-Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65 B.C.E. - 8 B.C.E.)): “Epistles”

“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home . . .” -Gary Snyder

“I remember a hundred lovely lakes, and recall the fragrant breath of pine and fir and cedar and poplar trees. The trail has strung upon it, as upon a thread of silk, opalescent dawns and saffron sunsets.” -Hamlin Garland (1860 - 1940)

The butterfly is a flying flower,
The flower a tethered butterfly.
-Ponce Denis Écouchard Lebrun (1729 - 1807)

“In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.” -Alice Walker (born 1944)

“There is sanctuary in being alone with nature.” -Jonathan Lockwood Huie (born 1945)

“Let us a little permit Nature to take her own way; she better understands her own Affairs than we.” -Michel de Montaigne (Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533 - 1592))

“But, the natural world is the old river that runs through everything, and I think poets will forever fish along its shores.” -Mary Oliver (born 1935)

“One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between Man and Nature shall not be broken.” -Leo Tolstoy (Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828 - 1910))

“The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful.” -e e cummings (Edward Estlin Cummings (1894 - 1962))

“Thou canst not stir a flower without troubling of a star.” -Francis Thompson (1859 - 1907)

“We cannot pluck a flower without disturbing a star.” -Loren Eiseley (1907 - 1977)

“Nature is the technology of God.” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)

“Study Nature, Love Nature, Stay Close to Nature. It Will Never Fail You.” -Frank Lloyd Wright (born Frank Lincoln Wright (1867 - 1959))

“Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake.” -Wallace Stevens

“You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters.” -Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 - 1153)

“I would rather be amongst forest animals and the sounds of nature, than amongst city traffic and the noise of man.” -A. D. Williams (Anthony Douglas Williams)

“Nature does nothing without purpose or uselessly.” -Joseph Addison (1672 - 1719)

“Jungles and grasslands are the logical destinations, and towns and farmland the labyrinths that people have imposed between them sometime in the past. I cherish the green enclaves accidentally left behind.” -E. O. Wilson (Edward Osborn Wilson (born 1929))

“Go forth under the open sky, and listen to Nature’s teachings.” -William C. Bryant (William Cullen Bryant (1794 - 1878))

“Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence.” -Hal Borland (Harold Glen ‘Hal’ Borland (1900 - 1978))

“A stern discipline pervades all nature, which is a little cruel that it may be very kind.” -Herbert Spencer (1820 - 1903)

“Every now and again take a good look at something not made with hands - a mountain, a star, the turn of a stream. There will come to you wisdom and patience and solace and, above all, the assurance that you are not alone in the world.” -Sidney Lovett

“How glorious a greeting the Sun gives the mountains!” -John Muir (1838 - 1914)

“If I were to choose the sights, the sounds, the fragrances I most would want to see and hear and smell - among all the delights of the world - I think I would choose these: the clear, ethereal song of a white-throated sparrow singing at dawn; the smell of pine trees in the heat of noon; the lonely calling of Canada geese; the sight of a dragon-fly glinting in the sunshine; the voice of a hermit thrush far in a darkening wood at evening; and - most spiritual and moving of sights - the white cathedral of a cumulus cloud floating serenely in the blue of the sky.” -Edwin Way Teale (1899 - 1980): “The Lost Woods” (1945)

“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.” -Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)

What if you woke up one morning to find that you had a trunk like an elephant, a pouch like a kangaroo, wings like a canary, a tail like a beaver . . . You would fit right in at Make Fun Of Life! because we’re all-mixed-up, too, like what is coming up next . . .

Blessings

1/21/2019

Blessings

As rising Sun strikes fiery jewels
     In morning drops of dew
I stroll amidst the garden
     To watch the Earth renew.

The flashing vibrant cardinal
     Trills his prelude to the day
While radiant beams of sunlight
     Melt shadowy mist away.

He tells me it’s a lovely day
     With him I must agree -
For his joyous song of morning
     Showers blessings down on me.

by Rea Williams

Oh, Rainbow

1/1/2019

Oh, Rainbow

Oh, rainbow, oh, rainbow,
     How lovely are your colors.
Oh, rainbow, oh, rainbow,
     How lovely are your colors.
Purple, red and orange, too,
     Yellow, green and blue so true.
Oh, rainbow, oh, rainbow,
     How lovely are your colors.

by Author Unknown: sung to the same tune as that of, “Oh, Christmas Tree”

Sea Shell

12/8/2018

Sea Shell

Sea shell, sea shell,
     Sing a song for me;
Sing about the ocean,
     Tell me about the sea.

Sea shell, sea shell,
     When I hold you near,
I can hear the ocean
     Whispering in my ear.

by Author Unknown

Outside My Window

11/20/2018

Outside My Window

As I stare out of my window
Through the exquisite blue patterned curtains
I see a brown wooden fence
Next to a tall immense tree
full of hidden secrets!

A barn owl inhabits a hollow in the tree
when the sunsets along the horizon
the owl shows his self by broadcasting
a continuous message.

Above the owl are cicadas, and in the hot summer sun
they unleash their unceasing sound that never ends.
At the pinnacle of the tree is an oriole accompanied by a blue tit
the duet they sing together puts cares at rest.

by Joshua Pari

Far from the Madding Crowd

11/15/2018

Far from the Madding* Crowd

It seems to me I’d like to go
     Where bells ne’er ring or whistles blow;
Where clocks ne’er strike and gongs ne’er sound,
     But where there’s stillness all around.

Not real still stillness - just the trees’
     Low whisperings or the croon of bees;
The drowsy tinkling of the rill,
     Or twilight song of whippoorwill.

’Twould be a joy could I behold
     The dappled fields of green and gold,
Or in the cool, sweet clover lie
     And watch the cloud-ships drifting by.

I’d like to find some quaint old boat,
     And fold its oars, and with it float
Along the lazy, limpid stream
     Where water-lilies drowse and dream.

Sometimes it seems to me I must
     Just quit the city’s din and dust,
For fields of green and skies of blue;
     And, say! how does it seem to you?

by Nixon Waterman

*Madding means ‘frenzied’ or ‘affected with madness’ and is often used in describing the behavior of crowds or mobs of people.

Nixon Waterman was born on 12 November 1859 in Newark, Illinois, United States of America, as the son of Lyman Waterman and Elizabeth Waterman. He lived on a farm until he was 20 years of age, teaching school during the winter months, and began his newspaper career at 21 years of age in the mechanical department of a country weekly in Creston, Iowa. Mr. Waterman was married on 14 March 1883 to Nellie Haskins of Menasha, Wisconsin. Weary of being a press operator, he tried his hand at other branches of the business, and made rapid progress. He first won flattering recognition as a newspaper editorial writer in Omaha, Nebraska. He moved to Chicago in October 1889, where he supplied the editorial page of the Chicago “Herald” with witty and catchy rhymes printed under the caption, “Small Change,” which were copied in publications across America. When the proprietors of the “Herald” started the “Evening Post,” he was one of the coteries selected to create for that venture the conditions of popularity with the public. After seven months on the “Post,” he went back to the “Herald,” but a year later resigned to work for “Puck,” “Truth,” “Youth’s Companion” and other popular weekly newspapers and magazines. Nixon Waterman was a newspaper writer, a poet, a book author, and a Chautauqua lecturer. His first wife Nellie Waterman (maiden name Haskins) passed on sometime in 1940, and in November 1940, he married Grace Sanford Leavitt. Nixon Waterman passed on at 84 years of age on 1 September 1944 in Canton, Massachusetts, United States of America.

One Day When We Went Walking

11/10/2018

One Day When We Went Walking

One day when we went walking,
     I found a dragon’s tooth,
A dreadful dragon’s tooth.
     “A locust thorn,” said Ruth.

One day when we went walking,
     I found a brownie’s shoe,
A brownie’s button shoe.
     “A dry pea pod,” said Sue.

One day when we went walking,
     I found a mermaid’s fan,
A merry mermaid’s fan.
     “A scallop shell,” said Dan.

One day when we went walking,
     I found a fairy’s dress,
A fairy’s flannel dress.
     “A mullein leaf,” said Bess.

Next time that I go walking -
     Unless I meet an elf,
A funny, friendly elf -
     I’m going by myself!

by Valine Hobbs

What might you find on your next nature walk?

Who Has Seen the Wind?

10/27/2018

Who Has Seen the Wind?

Who has seen the wind?
     Neither I nor you;
But when the leaves hang trembling
     The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?
     Neither you nor I;
But when the trees bow down their heads
     The wind is passing by.

by Christina Rossetti

Christina Georgina Rossetti was born on 5 December 1830 in London, England. She became a poet. She is known for “Goblin Market” and “Remember,” among other works. Christina Georgina Rossetti passed on at 64 years of age on 29 December 1894 in London, England.

The Clouds

10/22/2018

The Clouds

“Clouds that wander through the sky,
     Sometimes low and sometimes high;
In the darkness of the night,
     In the sunshine warm and bright.
Ah! I wonder much if you
     Have any useful work to do.”

“Yes, we’re busy night and day,
     As o’er the earth we take our way.
We are bearers of the rain
     To the grasses, and flowers, and grain;
We guard you from the Sun’s bright rays,
     In the sultry summer days.”

by Author Unknown

Outdoors

10/9/2018

Outdoors

I love the sun,
     I love the sky,
I love the wind
     That whistles by.

I love the grass,
     I love the flowers,
I love the cool
     Refreshing showers.

I love the snow,
     I love the trees,
I love the Summer’s
     Cooling breeze.

I love the rain
     That pours and pours.
I love most every-
     Thing outdoors.

by Vivian G. Gouled

Vivian G. Gouled was born on 12 June 1911. She became a poet. Vivian G. Gouled passed on at 94 years of age on 6 October 2005.

Shooting Star

9/19/2018

Shooting Star

Shooting star,
     Falling star,
          Burning with a light.

Shooting star,
     Falling star,
          Lighting up the night.

Shooting star,
     Falling star,
          What a sight to see.

Shooting star,
     Shining star,
          Grant a wish for me.

by Author Unknown

Sunset

9/18/2018

Sunset

Now the sun is sinking
     In the golden west;
Birds and bees and children
     All have gone to rest;
And the merry streamlet,
     As it runs along,
With a voice of sweetness
     Sings its evening song.

Cowslip, daisy, violet,
     In their little beds,
All among the grasses
     Hide their heavy heads;
There they’ll all, sweet darlings,
     Lie in the happy dreams.
Till the rosy morning
     Wakes them with its beams.

by Author Unknown

The Rain

9/17/2018

The Rain

Like a gentle joy descending,
To the earth a glory lending,
     Comes the pleasant rain;
Fairer now the flowers are growing,
Fresher now the winds are blowing,
     Gladder waves the grain;
Grove and forest, field and mountain,
Bathing in the crystal fountain,
     Drinking in the inspiration,
     Offer up a glad oblation;
All around, about, above us.
Things we love, the things that love us,
     Bless the gentle rain.

Beautiful, and still, and holy,
Like the spirit of the lowly,
     Comes the quiet rain;
’Tis a fount of joy distilling,
And the lyre of earth is trilling,
     Swelling to a strain;
Nature opens wide her bosom,
Bursting buds begin to blossom;
     To her very soul ’tis stealing,
     All the springs of life unsealing;
Singing stream and rushing river
Drink it in, and praise the Giver
     Of the blessed rain.

by Laura A. Boies

The Rainbow

9/7/2018

The Rainbow

Boats sail on the rivers,
     And ships sail on the seas;
But clouds that sail across the sky
     Are prettier than these.

There are bridges on the rivers,
     As pretty as you please;
But the bow that bridges heaven,
     And overtops the trees,
And builds a road from earth to sky,
     Is prettier far than these.

by Christina Rossetti

Flint

9/4/2018

Flint

An emerald is as green as grass,
     A ruby red as blood;
A sapphire shines as blue as heaven;
     A flint lies in the mud.

A diamond is a brilliant stone,
     To catch the world’s desire;
An opal holds a fiery spark;
     But a flint holds fire*.

by Christina Rossetti

*‘holds fire’ means a material has the ability to make fire, as when a piece of flint stone is struck against another piece of flint stone or some other hard material, causing sparks that can start combustible material, such as wood, to burn.

Christina Georgina Rossetti was born on 5 December 1830 in London, England. She became a poet. She is known for “Goblin Market” and “Remember,” among other works. Christina Georgina Rossetti passed on at 64 years of age on 29 December 1894 in London, England.

Image shown: Black Flintstone.

If I Were a Sunbeam

9/3/2018

If I Were a Sunbeam

“If I were a sunbeam,
     I know what I’d do;
I would seek white lilies,
     Roaming woodlands through.
I would steal among them,
     Softest light I’d shed,
Until every lily
     Raised its drooping head.

“If I were a sunbeam,
     I know where I’d go;
Into lowly hovels,
     Dark with want and woe:
Till sad hearts looked upward,
     I would shine and shine;
Then they’d think of heaven,
     Their sweet home and mine.”

Are you not a sunbeam,
     Child, whose life is glad
With an inner brightness
     Sunshine never had?
Oh, as God has blessed you,
     Scatter light divine!
For there is no sunbeam
     But must die or shine.

by Alice Cary

Alice Cary was born on 26 April 1820 in Mount Healthy, Ohio, United States of America. She was an older sister of the poet Phoebe Cary (1824 - 1871). Alice Cary became a writer and a poet. She passed on at 50 years of age on 12 February 1871 in New York City, New York, United States of America.

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