Poetry Explorer


Classic and Contemporary Poetry


THE THRESHOLD by DOUGLAS MALLOCH

First Line: OVER THE THRESHOLD THEY COME AND GO
Last Line: CARVED BY THE FOOTSTEPS WE HAVE KNOWN.

Over the threshold they come and go,
The kin we love and the friends we know;
And we gaily laugh as they leave the door,
For we never know they will come no more
Over the threshold loved of yore.

Over the threshold -- but as they pass,
Age and infant and youth and lass,
And whether they walk with sob or song,
Whether with feeble step or strong,
They leave a mark that shall last for long.

Over the threshold! O sculptor, you
Wonderful, beautiful things may do;
But none shall fashion and none shall own
A thing as beautiful as the stone
Carved by the footsteps we have known.



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