Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, HIGH WATER MARK, by ALMA LONG GRAY



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

HIGH WATER MARK, by                    
First Line: The march winds howl and the gusts of rain
Last Line: And the house has a coppery high-water band.
Subject(s): Rain


The March winds howl and the gusts of rain
Blow into the barn on the heifer calf;
The corncrib tilts and the hens complain
Of their sodden roosts and the moldy chaff;
A plow horse slips on an oozy ramp
And the cows go back to their muddy stalls
Sniffing the mangers where the damp
Ensilage clings; and along the walls
Rafter-shadowed, a line of dark --
The umber and sepia high-water mark.

The kitten washes a chilly paw,
The baby whimpers upon the bed;
I've coddled the fire -- it's beginning to draw --
The sides of the rusty stove turn red;
I am back in my home again tonight,
Windows washed and the buckled floor
Scraped and scrubbed to a splintery white ...
Oh, it is good to be home once more
Though the yard is buried in silt and sand
And the house has a coppery high-water band.





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