After the Winter rain
Ina Donna Coolbrith (1841-1928) After the winter rain, Sing, robin! Sing, swallow! Grasses are in the lane, Buds and flowers will follow. Woods shall ring, blithe and gay, With bird-trill and twitter, Though the skies weep to-day, And the winds are bitter. Though deep call unto deep As calls the thunder, And white the billows leap The tempest under; Softly the waves shall come Up the long, bright beaches, With dainty, flowers of foam And tenderest speeches… After the wintry pain, And the long, long sorrow, Sing, heart!—for thee again Joy comes with the morrow.Hope
Theodore Henry Shackelford (1888–1923) O Hope! into my darkened life Thou hast so oft’ descended; My helpless head from failure’s blows, Thou also hast defended; When circumstances hard, and mean, Which I could not control, Did make me bow my head with shame, Thou comforted my soul. When stumbling blocks lay all around, And when my steps did falter, Then did thy sacred fires burn Upon my soul’s high altar. Oft’ was my very blackest night Scarce darker than my day, But thou dispelled those clouds of doubt, And cheered my lonely way. E’en when I saw my friends forsake, And leave me for another, Then thou, O Hope, didst cling to me Still closer than a brother; Thus with thee near I groped my way Through that long, gloomy night Till now; yes, as I speak, behold, I see the light! the light!If You Knew
Ruth Muskrat Bronson (1897-1982) If you could know the empty ache of loneliness, Masked well behind the calm indifferent face Of us who pass you by in studied hurriedness, Intent upon our way, lest in the little space Of one forgetful moment hungry eyes implore You to be kind, to open up your heart a little more, I’m sure you’d smile a little kindlier, sometimes, To those of us you’ve never seen before. If you could know the eagerness we’d grasp The hand you’d give to us in friendliness; What vast, potential friendship in that clasp We’d press, and love you for your gentleness; If you could know the wide, wide reach Of love that simple friendliness could teach, I’m sure you’d say “Hello, my friend,” sometimes, And now and then extend a hand in friendliness to each.The wind was a care-free soul
Gwendolyn Bennett (1902-1981) The wind was a care-free soul That broke the chains of earth, And strode for a moment across the land With the wild halloo of his mirth. He little cared that he ripped up trees, That houses fell at his hand, That his step broke calm on the breast of seas, That his feet stirred clouds of sand. But when he had had his little joke, Had shouted and laughed and sung, When the trees were scarred, their branches broke, And their foliage aching hung, He crept to his cave with a stealthy tread, With rain-filled eyes and low-bowed head. More Poems @copyright 2025 InterPure
After the Winter rain
Ina Donna Coolbrith (1841-1928) After the winter rain, Sing, robin! Sing, swallow! Grasses are in the lane, Buds and flowers will follow. Woods shall ring, blithe and gay, With bird-trill and twitter, Though the skies weep to-day, And the winds are bitter. Though deep call unto deep As calls the thunder, And white the billows leap The tempest under; Softly the waves shall come Up the long, bright beaches, With dainty, flowers of foam And tenderest speeches… After the wintry pain, And the long, long sorrow, Sing, heart!—for thee again Joy comes with the morrow.Hope
Theodore Henry Shackelford (1888–1923) O Hope! into my darkened life Thou hast so oft’ descended; My helpless head from failure’s blows, Thou also hast defended; When circumstances hard, and mean, Which I could not control, Did make me bow my head with shame, Thou comforted my soul. When stumbling blocks lay all around, And when my steps did falter, Then did thy sacred fires burn Upon my soul’s high altar. Oft’ was my very blackest night Scarce darker than my day, But thou dispelled those clouds of doubt, And cheered my lonely way. E’en when I saw my friends forsake, And leave me for another, Then thou, O Hope, didst cling to me Still closer than a brother; Thus with thee near I groped my way Through that long, gloomy night Till now; yes, as I speak, behold, I see the light! the light!If You Knew
Ruth Muskrat Bronson (1897-1982) If you could know the empty ache of loneliness, Masked well behind the calm indifferent face Of us who pass you by in studied hurriedness, Intent upon our way, lest in the little space Of one forgetful moment hungry eyes implore You to be kind, to open up your heart a little more, I’m sure you’d smile a little kindlier, sometimes, To those of us you’ve never seen before. If you could know the eagerness we’d grasp The hand you’d give to us in friendliness; What vast, potential friendship in that clasp We’d press, and love you for your gentleness; If you could know the wide, wide reach Of love that simple friendliness could teach, I’m sure you’d say “Hello, my friend,” sometimes, And now and then extend a hand in friendliness to each.The wind was a care-free soul
Gwendolyn Bennett (1902-1981) The wind was a care-free soul That broke the chains of earth, And strode for a moment across the land With the wild halloo of his mirth. He little cared that he ripped up trees, That houses fell at his hand, That his step broke calm on the breast of seas, That his feet stirred clouds of sand. But when he had had his little joke, Had shouted and laughed and sung, When the trees were scarred, their branches broke, And their foliage aching hung, He crept to his cave with a stealthy tread, With rain-filled eyes and low-bowed head. More Poems @copyright 2025 InterPure
