Why should I long for what I know Can never be revealed to me? I only pray that I may grow As sure and bravely as a tree. I do not ask why tireless grief Remains, or why all beauty flies; I only crave the blind relief Of branches groping toward the skies. Let me bring every seed to fruit, Sharing, whatever comes to pass, The strong persistence of the root, The patient courage of the grass. Heartened by every source of mirth, I shall not mind the wounds and scars, Feeling the solid strength of earth, The bright conviction of the stars. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...BOTHWELL: PART 4 by WILLIAM EDMONSTOUNE AYTOUN THE RETURN (2) by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON AN EXPLANATION by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON THE RIVALS by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON STREET CRIES: 6. TO RICHARD WAGNER by SIDNEY LANIER SURFACES AND MASKS; 12 by CLARENCE MAJOR DOMESDAY BOOK: AT FAIRBANKS by EDGAR LEE MASTERS SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: REV. LEMUEL WILEY by EDGAR LEE MASTERS |