They are clearing ground to build a house In the vacant lot next door That I walk through every morning Coming from the store -- In the tiny tangled wildwood with its thickets to explore, And the talk Of a poplar as I walk. There is peace In this still suburban street. Trim and neat We keep our modest gardens, and I know That flowers will grow In my newest neighbor's garden with a fragrance just as sweet; With the wild grass trimmed and seeded, Rolled and weeded, And hollyhocks put primly in a row. And at dusk, When the air is sweet with phlox, A tired-looking business man will go To and fro, Watering the eager roots of drooping summer flowers While @3my@1 husband waters @3ours@1. And children in the wet grass will be wiggling their toes, Or leaping over fountains where the hose Leaks and sputters, Or pulling out the petals of a rose. Yes, there will still be peace! (But joy for me will cease -- No rambles where the prickly brambles crawl!) A still, wind-sheltered peace That lulls life to the echo of a call . . . . Suburban life . . . . Man and wife . . . . And children's arms around us like a wall! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...JONES'S PRIVATE ARGYMENT by SIDNEY LANIER ROBERT OF LINCOLN by WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT THE HAUNTED PALACE by EDGAR ALLAN POE SONG FOR DECORATION DAY by HELEN C. BACON TWELVE SONNETS: 8 by GEORGE BARLOW (1847-1913) |