Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE PERFECT FESTIVAL, by AMOS RUSSEL WELLS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE PERFECT FESTIVAL, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Out of mystery and gloom
Last Line: You are joy and only joy!
Subject(s): Festivals; Fairs; Pageants


Out of mystery and gloom,
Out of sorrow and the tomb,
Comes a carol brave and gay,
Comes the breaking of the day.

Christmas is a time of cheer
In the winter of the year,
But its presents often wear
Quite a mercenary air.

Patriotic banners fly
On the fourth day of July,
But the essence of its joys
Lies in crude, barbaric noise.

Often quaint Thanksgiving finds
Discontented, anxious minds, --
Less a festival of praise
Than the greediest of days.

Ah, but Easter, purely born
Of the lily and the thorn,
With no touch of base alloy,
You are joy and only joy!





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