Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, WELCOME GUEST, by JEAN D. ARMSTRONG


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

WELCOME GUEST, by                    
First Line: I've played host to opportunity
Last Line: Exact my due and tax his surplus store.
Subject(s): Beds; Guests; Visiting


I've played host to opportunity;
Opened wide the often knuckled door;
Welcomed him as any other guest.
I've dined him well and steeped him in old wine;
And when his heavy head began to roll,
Laid him on my only empty bed,
And stretched myself upon the drafty boards.
When rosy morning spread the heavy drapes
Of star-flecked night, austere, aloof,
I summoned him to breakfast at my board,
Then bid him quiet good-morning, closed the door.
I made no memorandum of his stay,
Nor have I any gain that's tangible.
When next his footstep sounds upon the path
I'll know him, and before he leaves again
Exact my due and tax his surplus store.





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