a summery poem

The Grass

The grass so little has to do,—
A sphere of simple green,
With only butterflies to brood,
And bees to entertain,

And stir all day to pretty tunes
The breezes fetch along,
And hold the sunshine in its lap
And bow to everything;

And thread the dews all night, like pearls,
And make itself so fine,—
A duchess were too common
For such a noticing.

And even when it dies, to pass
In odours so divine,
As lowly spices gone to sleep,
Or amulets of pine.

And then to dwell in sovereign barns,
And dream the days away,—
The grass so little has to do,
I wish I were the hay!

-Emily Dickinson

I’m posting this poem for Lisa and for Jody, because they appreciate grass. I do too, but I must not be a good grass-photographer. All I could find in my files just now is a picture Pippin took at Hadrian’s Wall. Don’t miss the butterfly!

Hadrian flower-grass

5 thoughts on “a summery poem”

I really do love this poem! Thanks so much. I also love your grassy picture and the little butterfly! I’m looking out the window at my own grassy lawn that is in need of some cropping, though I kind of like it long so I can watch it bend and wave in the wind. There’s a beautiful chestnut colored bird that’s been hopping around the last couple of days. I think it’s a brown thrush? (I gave my bird books to my granddaughter because she loves to look at the pictures. So I can’t look it up right now.) I just googled it. I think it’s a brown thrasher, aka brown thrush. It makes a “harsh tsuck sound” which is what I first noticed as I was sitting by the window. It seems to live in the woods at the edge of my pasture. I see it fly out of the trees now and then. It likes my lawn and seems to find a lot to eat there. A large striking bird. I also heard a bird singing a long complicated song in those same woods last night. Might it be this same thrush? Here’s the article I found: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Thrasher/id
Thanks again for the beautiful poem! 🙂

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