I AM the pillars of the house; The keystone of the arch am I. Take me away, and roof and wall Would fall to ruin utterly. I am the fire upon the hearth, I am the light of the good sun, I am the heat that warms the earth, Which else were colder than a stone. At me the children warm their hands; I am their light of love alive. Without me cold the hearthstone stands, Nor could the precious children thrive. I am the twist that holds together The children in its sacred ring, Their knot of love, from whose close tether No lost child goes a-wandering. I am the house from floor to roof, I deck the walls, the board I spread; I spin the curtains, warp and woof, And shake the down to be their bed. I am their wall against all danger, Their door against the wind and snow. Thou Whom a woman laid in manger, Take me not till the children grow! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE PICKET-GUARD [NOVEMBER, 1861] by ETHEL LYNN BEERS TETHYS' FESTIVAL: SHADOWS by SAMUEL DANIEL MONTEREY [SEPTEMBER 23, 1846] by CHARLES FENNO HOFFMAN PARLIAMENT OF WOMEN: PRAXAGORA REHEARSES by ARISTOPHANES THE SINGERS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY by GEORGE BARLOW (1847-1913) |