A Prayer

Until I lose my soul and lie
Blind to the beauty of the earth,
Deaf though shouting wind goes by,
Dumb in a storm of mirth.

Until my heart is quenched at length
And I have left the land of men,
Oh, let me love with all my strength
Careless if I am loved again.

Sara Teasdale, 1884-1933

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Ambition

I had ambition, by which sin the angels fell;
I climbed, and step by step, o lord, ascend into hell.
Returning now to peace and quiet and made more wise,
Let my descent and fall, o Lord, be into paradise.

William Henry Davies
 

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Arise from the Dreams of Thee

I arise from dreams of thee
In the first sweet sleep of night,
When the winds are breathing low,
And the stars are shining bright.
I arise from dreams of thee,
And a spirit in my feet
Has led me-- who knows how?--
To thy chamber window, sweet!

The wandering airs they faint
On the dark, the silent stream,--
The champak odors fall
Like sweet thoughts in a dream
The nightingale's complaint,
It dies upon her heart,
As I must die on thine,
O, beloved as thou art!

O, lift me from the grass!
I die, I faint, I fall!
Let thy love in kisses rain
On my lips and eyelids pale,
My cheek is cold and white, alas!
My heart beats loud and fast.
Oh! press it close to thine again,
Where it will break at last!

Percy Bysshe Shelley

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At Seventeen

I learned the truth at seventeen
that love was meant for beauty queens
And high school girls with clear skinned smiles
Who married young and then retired
The valentines I never knew,
the Friday night charade
If youth were spent on one more beautiful
at seventeen I learned the truth
and those of us with ravage faces
lacking in the social graces
desperately remained at home
inventing lovers on the phone
who called to say come dance with me
and murmured vague obscenities
It isn't all it seems at seventeen
a brown eyed girl in hand me downs
Whose name I never could pronounce
said pretty please the ones who serve
they only get what they deserve
rich relationed, home town queens
marries into what she needs, with a guarantee
of company and haven for the elderly
Remember those who win the game
Lose the love, decide to gain in debentures
of quality and obvious integrity
their small town eyes will gape at you
in dull surprise when payment due
exceeds accounts received at seventeen
to those of us who know the pain
of valentines that never came
and those whose names were never called
when choosing sides for basketballs
It was long ago and far away
the world was younger than today
and dreams were all they gave for free.
to ugly duckling girls like me
we all play the game and when
we dare to cheat ourselves at solitaire
inventing lovers on the phone
repenting other lives unknown
that call to say come dance with me
and murmured vague obscenities
at ugly girls like me at seventeen.

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A Young Girl still Dwells

What do you see nurse, what do you see?
Are you thinking when you look at me -
A crabbed old woman, not very wise,
Uncertain of habit with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles her food and makes no reply
When you say in a loud voice, "I do wish you'd try!"
Who seems not to notice the things that you do,
And forever is losing a stocking or shoe?
Who resisting or not, lets you do as you will
With bathing and feeding, the long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking, is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse, you're looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am as I sit here so still.
As I move at your bidding, eat at your will...
I'm a small child of ten with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters who love one another;
A young girl of sixteen with wings on her feet,
Dreaming that soon a love she'll meet;
A bride at twenty my heart gives a leap,
Remembering the vows that I promised to keep;
At twenty-five not I have a young of my own
who need me to build a secure, happy home;
A woman of thirty, my young now grow fast,
Bound together with ties that should last;
At forty, my young sons have grown up and gone,
But my man's beside me to see I don't mourns;
At fifty, once more babies play round my knee,
Again we know children my loved ones and me.
Dark days are upon me, my husband is dead.
I look at the future, I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing young of their own,
And I think of the years and the love that I've known.
I'm an old woman now and nature is cruel;
Tis her just to make old age look like a fool.
The body it crumbles, grace and vigor depart;
There is a stone where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass a young girl still dwells,
And now, again, my embittered heart swells.
I remember the joys, I remember the pain,
And I'm loving and living life over again,
I think of the years, all too few, gone to fast,
And accept the stark fact that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, nurse, open and see.
Not a crumbled old woman,
look closer - see me!

Author Unknown
Fr: "A 2nd helping of Chicken soup for the soul"