A Year of Poems

The Cupboard
I know a little cupboard ,

With a teeny tiny key ,
'
And there s a jar of Lollypops
,
For me me me , .
It has a little shelf my dear , ,

As dark as dark can be ,
'
And there s a dish of Banbury Cakes
,
For me me me , .
I have a small fat grandmamma ,

With a very slippery knee ,
'
And she s the Keeper of the Cupboard
,
With the key key key , .
'
And when I m very good my dear , ,
As good as good can be ,
'
There s Banbury Cakes and Lollypops ,
, . ,
For me me me
-Walter de la Mare, 1873-1956
January
There's Snow on the Fields
'
There s snow on the fields ,
And cold in the cottage ,
While I sit in the chimney nook
Supping hot pottage .
My clothes are soft and warm ,

Fold upon fold,
'
But I m so sorry for the poor
Out in the cold .
-Christina Rossetti, 1830-1894
February
Rain Music
-
On the dusty earth drum
Beats the falling rain ;

Now a whispered murmur ,
Now a louder strain .
,
Slender silvery drumsticks ,
On an ancient drum ,
Beat the mellow music
Bidding life to come .
Chords of earth awakened ,

Notes of greening spring ,
Rise and fall triumphant
Over every thing .
,
Slender silvery drumsticks
Beat the long tattoo --

,
God the Great Musician ,
Calling life anew .
-Joseph S. Cotter, Jr., 1895-1919
March
Raining
,
Raining raining ,
All night long ;
,
Sometimes loud sometimes soft ,
Just like a song .
'
There ll be rivers in the gutters
And lakes along the street .

It will make our lazy kitty
Wash his little dirty feet .
The roses will wear diamonds
Like kings and queens at court ;

But the pansies all get muddy
Because they are so short .
' -
I ll sail my boat to morrow
,
In wonderful new places
But first I'll take my watering-pot
And wash the pansies' faces.
-Amelia Josephine Burr, 1878-1968

April
May Day
A delicate fabric of bird song
Floats in the air ,

The smell of wet wild earth
Is everywhere .
Red small leaves of the maple
Are clenched like a hand ,

Like girls at their first communion
The pear trees stand .
Oh I must pass nothing by
Without loving it much ,

,
The raindrop try with my lips
The grass with my touch;
For how can I be sure
I shall see again
The world on the first of May
Shining after the rain ?

-Sara Teasdale, 1884-1933
May
Evening
The cricket sang ,
And set the sun ,
,
And workmen finished one by one ,
Their seam the day upon .
The low grass loaded with the dew ,

The twilight stood as strangers do
,
With hat in hand polite and new ,
,
To stay as if or go .
,
A vastness as a neighbor came , ,
A wisdom without face or name,
A peace, as hemispheres at home,
And so the night became.
-Emily Dickinson, 1830-1886
June
My Garden
,
A garden is a lovesome thing God wot !
Rose plot,
,
Fringed pool
Ferned grot--
The veriest school
;
Of peace and yet the fool
Contends that God is not --

! !
Not God in gardens when the eve is cool ?
,
Nay but I have a sign ;
'Tis very sure God walks in mine.
-Thomas Edward Brown, 1830-1897
July
A Bird Came Down the Walk
A bird came down the walk :
He did not know I saw ;
-
He bit an angle worm in halves
And ate the fellow raw , .
And then he drank a dew
From a convenient grass ,

And then hopped sidewise to the wall
To let a beetle pass .
He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all abroad ,--

,
They looked like frightened beads I thought ;
He stirred his velvet head
;
Like one in danger cautious ,
I offered him a crumb ,
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home
Than oars divide the ocean ,

Too silver for a seam ,
,
Or butterflies off banks of noon ,
, ,
Leap splashless as they swim .
-Emily Dickinson, 1830-1886
August
Little Things
Little drops of water ,
Little grains of sand ,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land .
So the little moments ,

Humble though they be ,
Make the mighty ages
Of eternity .
So our little errors
Lead the soul away
From the path of virtue ,

Far in sin to stray .
Little deeds of kindness ,

Little words of love ,
Help to make earth happy
Like the heaven above .

-Julia Fletcher Carney, 1823-1908
September
An Evening Hymn
,
All praise to thee my God this night , ,
For all the blessings of the light ;
,
Keep me O keep me King of Kings , ,
Beneath thy own almighty wings .
, ,
Forgive me Lord for thy dear Son ,
The ill that I this day have done ;
,
That with the world myself and Thee , ,
, ,
I ere I sleep at peace may be .
O may my soul on Thee repose ,

And may sweet sleep my eyelids close :
Sleep that may me more vigorous make
To serve my God when I awake .

-Thomas Ken, 1637-1711
October
We Thank Thee
For flowers that bloom about our feet ;

, ,
For tender grass so fresh so sweet ;
,
For song of bird and hum of bee ;
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
For blue of stream and blue of sky ;

For pleasant shade of branches high ;
For fragrant air and cooling breeze ;
For beauty of the blooming trees ,
,
Father in heaven we thank Thee .
-Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882
November
Lullaby
, ,
Sleep sleep my treasure ,
The long day s pleasure'
,
Has tired the birds to their nests they creep ;
The garden still is
Alight with lilies ,

But all the daisies are fast asleep .
, ,
Sleep sleep my darling ,
Dawn wakes the starling ,
The sparrow stirs when he sees day break ;
But all the meadow
Is wrapped in shadow ,
And you must sleep till the daisies wake !
-Edith Nesbit, 1858-1924
December

A Year of Poems

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The Cupboard

I know a little cupboard ,

It has a little shelf my dear , ,

I have a small fat grandmamma ,

-Walter de la Mare, 1873-1956

Supping hot pottage .

My clothes are soft and warm ,

Out in the cold .

-Christina Rossetti, 1830-1894

Beats the falling rain ;

Bidding life to come .

Chords of earth awakened ,

Over every thing .

Beat the long tattoo --

And lakes along the street .

Wash his little dirty feet .

The roses will wear diamonds

Like kings and queens at court ;

Because they are so short .

But first I'll take my watering-pot

And wash the pansies' faces.

-Amelia Josephine Burr, 1878-1968

Floats in the air ,

Red small leaves of the maple

Are clenched like a hand ,

The pear trees stand .

Oh I must pass nothing by

Without loving it much ,

The grass with my touch;

For how can I be sure

I shall see again

The world on the first of May

Shining after the rain ?

The low grass loaded with the dew ,

A peace, as hemispheres at home,

And so the night became.

-Emily Dickinson, 1830-1886

The veriest school

Contends that God is not --

-Thomas Edward Brown, 1830-1897

And ate the fellow raw , .

And then he drank a dew

From a convenient grass ,

To let a beetle pass .

He glanced with rapid eyes

That hurried all abroad ,--

And rowed him softer home

Than oars divide the ocean ,

And the pleasant land .

So the little moments ,

So our little errors

Lead the soul away

From the path of virtue ,

Little deeds of kindness ,

Like the heaven above .

O may my soul on Thee repose ,

To serve my God when I awake .

For flowers that bloom about our feet ;

Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For blue of stream and blue of sky ;

-Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882

Alight with lilies ,

-Edith Nesbit, 1858-1924