I AM the pillars of the house; The keystone of the arch am I. Take me away, and roof and wall Would fall to ruin utterly. I am the fire upon the hearth, I am the light of the good sun, I am the heat that warms the earth, Which else were colder than a stone. At me the children warm their hands; I am their light of love alive. Without me cold the hearthstone stands, Nor could the precious children thrive. I am the twist that holds together The children in its sacred ring, Their knot of love, from whose close tether No lost child goes a-wandering. I am the house from floor to roof, I deck the walls, the board I spread; I spin the curtains, warp and woof, And shake the down to be their bed. I am their wall against all danger, Their door against the wind and snow. Thou Whom a woman laid in manger, Take me not till the children grow! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...HOW TO BE A POET (TO REMIND MYSELF) by WENDELL BERRY O DREAMS, O DESTINATIONS by CECIL DAY LEWIS THE WAR THAT ISN'T WHAT YOU THINK by JAMES GALVIN THE YOUNG WARRIOR by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON DOMEDAY BOOK: MIRIAM FAY'S LETTER by EDGAR LEE MASTERS |