Classic and Contemporary Poetry
AN AUTUMN GHOST-TRAIL, by ALICE CHURCHILL CHAPHE First Line: Along the roadside Last Line: Beckoning as we passed. | ||||||||
Along the roadside, Ghostly ladies dressed in droll costumes Of fluffy golden-rod, Walk beside golden-capped, sunflower gentlemen; They pay little attention to the autoist who says, "Hi there, going somewhere, hop in!" But a shrug of their fluffy shoulder capes And a toss of the yellow-caps, And away they go To dance with the corn-stalk ladies, In a near-by field; A rustle of pale golden corn leaves And a scatter of fluff, As the wind whirls them in a mad polka, Or a slow-moving waltz; Where an occasional dash of scarlet Shows a drifting leaf, trees stand, showing Delicate tracery of branches, Against the glowing sunset; Tall feathery grasses and downy milkweeds Hold high carnival, Opening their slender green pods, Scattering to the winds of heaven, their treasures Of seeds and pollen; Alder bushes and a wild plum thicket Show a bronzy green, And elderberries with panicles of ripened fruit, Send out a rich, warm incense; Ghost-dreams of the heart keep step With the ghost-ladies of the roadside, As old-time memories flaunt their pale shadows Through the secret by-ways of the mind; A muted symphony of bird-notes Falls upon the stillness; The rustle of grasses where a cricket Tunes his fiddle for a last swing-song; Pale ghost ladies and cocky-capped Sunflower gentlemen, Pass us arm in arm, Returning from their afternoon frolic, And we wave a gay salute as we push our way Through soft, warm dust, towards that plum thicket -- For we remember there were a few deeply purple plums Beckoning as we passed. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...COMFORT [TO A YOUTH THAT HAD LOST HIS LOVE] by ROBERT HERRICK A SHROPSHIRE LAD: 1. 1887 by ALFRED EDWARD HOUSMAN IN PROGRESS by CHRISTINA GEORGINA ROSSETTI TO LADY ANNE HAMILTON by WILLIAM ROBERT SPENCER THE RAINBOW [IN THE SKY] by WILLIAM WORDSWORTH A STIRRUP-CUP by DOUGLAS AINSLIE PEARLS OF THE FAITH: 60. AL-MU'HID by EDWIN ARNOLD ON THE DISCOVERIES OF CAPTAIN LEWIS [JANUARY 14, 1807] by JOEL BARLOW |
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