Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, SYMBOL OF OUR COUNTRY, by MAUD MCKINSEY BUTLER


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

SYMBOL OF OUR COUNTRY, by                    
First Line: Cabin stands in clearing, unkempt, deserted
Last Line: Songs of the fearless.
Subject(s): Frontier & Pioneer Life; Progress; United States - History


Cabin stands in clearing, unkempt, deserted;
Leans against the hillside, by highway skirted;
Peers through haloed memories, on scenes perverted,
Vandaled by progress.

Always, it is muttering some old, old story;
Always, it is whispering some allegory.
Can it be the spirit of former glory
Dwelling in sadness?

It was friendly shelter against weird presences;
Habitat of settlers who trekked vast distances;
Home of pioneers who endured the silences,
Born of the stillness.

Morning-glories clambered upon its clapboards;
Maple trees in springtime gave up their sap-hoards,
Forests harmonized the woodpeckers' tap-swords
Drummed in the wildness.

Lonely hut, neglected by prideful nation;
Empty, it is Rachel, in lamentation;
Should it not be given some consideration
In its aloneness?

Cabin, born of wildwood, whose arms were far-flung,
Guardian of frontier where the trails were star-hung,
Symbol of our country where always are sung
Songs of the fearless.





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