| NOW The clock of life is wound but once, And no man has the power To tell just when the hands will stop - At late or early hour. Now is the only time you own: Live, love, work with a will. Place no faith in tomorrow, for - The clock may then be still. ------------------- STUMBLING-BLOCK OR STEPPING-STONE Isn�t it strange that princes and kings And clowns that caper in sawdust rings And common folks like you and me Are builders of Eternity?? To each is given a bag of tools, - A shapeless mass and a book of rules; And each must make, ere life is flown, A stumbling-block or a stepping-stone. ---------------------- THERE IS NO DEATH There is no death!! The stars go down To rise upon some other shore, And bright in heaven�s jeweled crown They shine forevermore. There is no death. The forest leaves Convert to life the viewless air; The rocks disintegrate to feed The hungry moss they bear. There is no death. The choicest gifts That heaven hath kindly sent to earth Are ever first to seek again The country of their birth. And all things that for growth or joy Are worthy of our love and care, Whose loss has left us desolate, Are safely garnered there. --------------- ON THE AIR Time was, the farm-wife standing in her door And peering through the dusk across the hills, Could almost hear behind her on the floor The shadows creeping, creeping to the sills Like ghosts of Black Minorca�s come to perch There in the dark, so still the country night, While sometimes from the rising mists, a birch Would beckon �till she turned and struck a light. Time was... now always there is company: An orchestra usurps the kitchen, while A prima donna often comes to tea And presidents revolve the creaking stile; For neither mire, hub-deep, nor drifting snow, Can block the road against the radio. --------------------- LIFE�S COMMON THINGS Life�s common things are all so dear - The waking in the warm half gloom To find again the old familiar room. The sonnets and sighs and sounds that never tire; The homey work, the plans, the lilt of children�s laugh, The crackle of the open fire; The waiting, then the footsteps coming near, The opening door, your hand-clasp, and your kiss - Is heaven not after all the Now and Here?? The common things of life are all so dear. |
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