Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, EVENINGS, by BURGES JOHNSON


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

EVENINGS, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: On cold, dark winter evenings
Last Line: The evenings best of all.
Subject(s): Children; Night; Childhood; Bedtime


On cold, dark winter evenings,
outdoors a wind storm sings;
You hear a window rattle
and a dead limb creaks and swings,
And grown-ups sit around the fire
and talk of diff' runt things.
But I just fool around and grin,
it feels so nice and snug,
Till pretty soon I go and get
my favorite book, and lug
It near the fire, and stretch out
on my stomach on the rug.
Then by and by my mother
raps her thimble on my head
And says, "Why, boy, it's getting late!
Come, run along to bed."

Evenings in the summer,
when it's just as light as day,
With chirpy noises in the trees,
and sounds from far away,
And a sort of warm and grassy smell
that makes you want to play;

Why, then the boys come chasing round
and whistle at the gate,
And I slip off before I'm seen,
or mother hollers "Wait!
Go get your hat, and promise you'll
be back before it's late!"
Those summer nights it's father who
gets after me instead,
And calls me through the darkness,
"Boy! Skip right along to bed."

I think the morning's pretty long,
especially in school;
And afternoon has time enough
to suit me, as a rule;
But evenings they are always short,
in winter, spring, or fall,
And every time of year I like
the evenings best of all.





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