Favorite Poetry

Outwitted - Edwin Markham "My favorite poem"
He drew a circle that Shut me out --
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in!

May Dream - Ora Pate Stewart
I'd like to be a summer cloud
And live a life of thrills ...
Like watching oats and barley
Playing checkers on the hills.

Choice - Barbara A Jones
He wondered just which girl he'd choose
Of all the girls he knew
Which girl he'd pick at choosing time,
Say, maybe, in a year or two.

And while he wondered on this thing,
This vital choice, he strolled about
With Judy of the quiet eyes,
With Judy, who had picked him out.

Daughter's Transition - Leah Pyne Rowley, Orem, Utah
When my daughter was five I used to deplore
How she'd cut paper dolls and litter my floor.
When I'd brush her hair she'd squeal and moan,
And I longed for the day when she'd fix her own.

But now she's sixteen and woe is me!
I'd rather have things as they used to be.
The longer I live the less I know,
My daughter's glances have told me so.

To go with her shopping drives me insane
And after each time I swear never again!
Our tastes I find are never the same,
She likes the plaids, I like the plain.

She demands the latest in fads and trends,
The skirts of her choice nearly split when she bends.
And when I protest and take a firm stand,
She wails, "but mother you don't understand.""

When she ratted her hair I gave up in despair,
How could she do it! How could she dare?
It's enough that her skirts are short and tight
But now her hair is a horrible fright.
I'm confused and befuddled by her teenage ways
And I long to return to the paper doll days.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox challenges us with her verse saying:

One ship sails east and one sails west
By the self same wind that blows
Tis the set of the sail and not the gale
That determines the way it goes.

Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate
As we voyage along through life.
Tis the set of the soul that decides the goal
And not the calm or the strife.

Hello Girl - By Leona Carlson
(Tribute to Sarah Smith, telephone operator at Richmond for over 30 years.)

Long years she has served at the switchboard,
This lady we all admire,
Who was ever eager with service - plus
And a patience that never did tire.

Her hair was dark when she first began,
And her eyes were clear and bright.
She's sweeter now with eyes more dim,
And hair that is streaked with white.

"Hold the line," dear hello girl,
A message is coming through,
Chorus of thanks from the many
Who have long depended on you.

The butcher, the banker, the housewife,
The doctor with calls night and day;
The sheriff, the fireman and merchant,
Your favors could never repay.

They say you are leaving the switchboard,
And we're asking, "Can it be true?"
And "Where can they find another
Hello girl as grand as you?"

Rag Doll by Nick Kenny

Her folks were poor when she was small;
A dolly made of rags was all
Her mother could afford to buy . . .
In vain for Princess dolls she'd sigh.

When fortune smiles, her mother bought
The kind of doll she'd always sought;
Expensive dolls with silken curls . . .
She was the happiest of girls!

It's funny how the years can fly . . .
Now side by side her dollies lie
But when she dreams of childhood charms
The rag doll nestles in her arms!

Tomorrow - Princess Zeb-un-Nissa

At every dawn I say
If not today,
My joy will come tomorrow.
And hoping for delight
Dawn becomes night;
Till thus deceived, I find
Unto my sorrow at last
That, hoping for tomorrow
My life has passed.

From "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" (also commonly known as "Daffodils") - William Wordsworth

For oft when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills
And dances with the daffodils.
(Out of the Best Books, 3:5.)

Jenny Kiss'd Me by Leigh Hunt

Jenny kiss'd me when we met,
Jumping from the chair she set in;
Time, you thief, who love to get
Sweets into your list, put that in!
Say I'm weary, say I'm sad,
Say the health and wealth have missed me,
Say I'm growing old, but add,
Jenny kiss'd me.

Spring Bouquet by Leona H. Carlson (Richmond lady)

To me they're grand as orchids,
That stemless bright bouquet
Of dandelions, my little son
Just brought to me today.

A beaming smile was on his face,
Beneath a tattered hat.
When he presented me his gift
My heart went pit-a-pat.

I've grown quite sentimental
About the dandelion,
I think it is my favorite,
It seems almost divine.

PANE-FUL WATCHING

Youth passed me by this morning
Like colored autumn leaves,
The redheads, blondes and brunettes,
Creased trousers, perky sleeves.
I watched with mixed emotions
The friendly calls, shy looks,
With new clothes as their armor.

By Leona Carlson (Richmond Lady)

My heart goes to the Pacific
With my G I who's sailing that way
Tho' miles grow between us he's never alone,
We're growing much closer each day.

I see a new charm in those islands,
A charm that can really beguile
Tho a cruel foe lurks there with envy and hate,
My G I has taken his smile.

Yes, war is a terrible monster,
But its picture of horrow grows dim
His laugh and good cheer, seem to banish all fear,
And I just see the picture of him

Great architect of the Pacific,
Let Thy spirit move on the deep
Let the mighty waves caress him for me,
And soft winds lull him to sleep.

O sun, moon and stars, whispering winds,
And magnetic powers of the sea,
Take to my boy who is fighting there,
A message of love from me.

Reflections - Mahala Nelson, Salt Lake City

I once had a neighbor who lived just next door,
Had no children to spatter or scuff up her floor,
And she kept it so shiny your face you could see;
I remember of thinking how nice that would be.

The years have slipped by and my children are grown,
Moved to far away places to homes of their own.
Somehow the reflection of my face on the floor
Doesn't bring the contentment I dreamed of before.

A few little thumb-prings on my kitchen wall,
A few little foot-marks and boots in the hall,
Pajamas and playthings strewn o'er my settee - -
I find myself thinking how nice that would be!

Richard Cory by Edwin Robinson

Whenever Richard Cory went downtown
We people on the pavement looked at him
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored and imperially slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
"Good morning", and he glittered when he walked.

And he was rich - yes, richer than a king.
And admirably schooled in every grace
In fine, we thought that he was everything,
To make us wish that we were in his place.

So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat,
And cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.

Hold Fast Your Dream - by Louise Driscoll (1st part)

Hold fast your dreams!
Within your heart
Keep one still, secret spot
Where dreams may go
And sheltered so,
May thrive and grow
Where doubt and fear are now
O keep a place apart,
Within your heart
For little dreams to go!

The Reading Mother - Strickland Gillilan

I had a mother who read to me
Sagas of pirates who scoured the sea,
Cutlasses clenched in their yellow teeth,
"Blackbirds" stowed in the hold beneath.
I had a Mother who read me lays
Of ancient and gallant and golden days;
Stories of Marmion and Ivanhoe,
Which every boy has a right to know.
I had a Mother who read me tales
Of Gelert the hound of the hills of Wales,
True to his trust till his tragic death,
Faithfulness blent with his final breath.
I had a Mother who read me the things
That wholesome life to the boy heart brings--
Stories that stir with an upward touch,
Oh, that each mother of boys were such!
You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be--
I had a Mother who read to me.

------

We love best in the days when we believe that we alone love,
That no one has ever loved like us and no one ever will.

Love's Labor Lost - May Napier Burkhard

For months she tried to pitch a tent
And sleep upon the ground;
To hike across the wooded hills
Or ride behind the hounds

To Take delight in fishy smells
By lake and ocean side -
(She shot a duck at break of day
Then wept because it died.)

She learned to skate, and ski, and swim,
And climb, and row, and fly.
Her skin grew rough, her muscles tough,
Her hair turned bleached and dry.

Though in her heart she prayed and yearned
For a sheltered life of ease,
The man she loved was always sure
That comforts caused disease.

Then when she'd grown ad hard as nails,
(and halfway liked the life,)
Her Out-Door man took for his bride
An Indoor-Loving wife!

Return Love - Outing (Volume 18)

They had a quarrel and she sent
His letters back next day.
His ring and all his presents went
To him without delay.

"Pray send my kisses back to me,"
He wrote, "Could you forget them?"
She answered speedily that he
Must come himself and get them.

Good-by, Good Morrow (For C.C.) by Bette Richart

I understand the mourning of the dove
Who fears her solitude before it comes.
I see the fly, the amber that entombs.
I know their helpless grief that cannot move
Seeing my lover leave, but not my love.

- LeGrand Richards

For every worry under the sun,
There is a remedy or there is none
If there be one, hurry and find it,
If there is none, never mind it.

(Needs to be scanned again).

 

 

Favorite Quotes

What e'er thou art, act well thy part

Creation of woman from the rib of man. "She was not made out of his head, to top him; nor out of his feet, to be trampled upon by him; but out of his side, to be equal with him; under his arm to be protected; and near his heart; to be loved." - Mathew Henry

Women were created from the rib of man to be beside him, not from his head to top him, nor from his feet to be trampled by him, but from under his arm to be protected by him, near to his heart to be loved by him. - Mathew Henry

Choose your rut carefully, you'll be in it for the rest of your life.

Coed to date: "No there's no one else Robert - or I'd be out with him right now."

An elderly man, married almost 45 years, returned from home to find his wife packing. "What are you doing?" he asked. "I can't stand it anymore!" she cried. "All the years of fighting, arguing, I'm leaving." He stood there a minute, then ran into the bedroom and snatched a suitcase from the shelf. "Wait a minute," he cried. "I can't stand it anymore either. I'm going with you."

The perfection of a clock does not consist in going fast, but in keeping good time. - Vauvenargues

I won't forget to die. - Charles de Gaulle

If a man does not keep pace with his companion, it may be because he hears a different drummer.

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. - Eleanor Roosevelt.

Sometimes to find ourselves we have to lose sight of the shore.

90% of life is just showing up.

Marriage should be a duet - When one sings, the other claps. - J. Murray

I must remember to stay in the game.

 

 

Original Works

I needed spring this year - the warmth, the freshness, the opening bud. My youngest left the nest today.

I comb my hair like Julie's
I try to walk like Sue
I redecorated the kitchen
Just to match the neighbor's blue
I rolled my eyes and licked my lips
Just so he would notice me
I played Golf, Bridge, and tennis
And tried my best to ski
This I must decide
For there's a problem, don't you see
Does he love the wife I am
Or the one I've tried to be

Jalaine wrote this when she didn't move in with her friends:

I thought you'd like a little doll
to fill the empty space
A better roommate you'll never find
for she has the best of taste!
She will listen to your chatter
She will agree to all that's said,
And if you want to entertain,
She will even go to bed.
She will never clutter your front room
With boys and clothes and such
She will never tell your secrets
That to you mean so much
Yes - I must agree
She is the best you will find
I hope she fills the empty space
That could have been mine!

Jalaine wrote this when an Orem neighbor died.
Untimely Death

How can she leave while her flowers still bloom
-- A lonely husband
-- An empty room
A sweater she left with stitches to go
-- Two strong sons
--They loved her so
How can she leave an empty chair
--A grand child to squeeze
--So many that care
A book left open on the desk nearby
--A friend, a neighbor,
--She never ask why (It was never who or why) (never a question who or why)
A happy home, a way of life
--A fond goodbye
--To my lovely wife

Note: The people listed here are some of Jalaine's nieces and nephews.

Sue - Sue, Sue, with eyes of blue, Come visit us and we'll like you
Ann - Full of vinegar, laughter, and fun, If she keeps on baking she'll weigh a ton
Lynn - He's rough, he's tough this boy Lynn, but if we had a fight I could still win
Alan - Blonde hair and eyes of blue, the Larsen's like him and we do too

Brad - We really wished you lived next door, Oh what fun to see you more
Curt - His eyes are dark, his hair is brown, he is the liveliest boy in town

Jeff - Will he bowl, golf or ski, just wait a while then we'll see
Lori - The youngest of the Robbins clan, she is just the playmate for Ann and Jan

Robbie - Too young for girls, too old for toys, the oldest of the Kearsley boys
Mike - This is one boy we really like, in case you're interested ask for Mike
Jane - You can have Krusher and Carl Von Brock, I'll take Jane Kearsley with a hole in her sock
Steve - Be my valentine big tough Steve, or I'll give you a wrestling hold you won't believe
Ann - Ann, Ann, sweet little Ann, gave her a kiss, then we ran

Ruby - We really love our Grandma because she is so sweet, and when she comes to visit us, it really is a treat
Holly - The sun shines brighter, the rain falls lighter, the grass grows greener, the streets are cleaner, this is
the place we all agree, come to Salt Lake and you will see
Grandma and Grandpa Robbins -

(Needs to be scanned again).