The Daffodils
I wandered lonely
as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand
saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did
the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed - and gazed -
but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive
mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
-William Wordsworth
Requested by Geri M. on May 6, 2009
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THE CHILDREN'S HOUR
Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day's occupations,
That is known as the Children's Hour.
I hear in the chamber above me
The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
And voices soft and sweet.
From my study I see in the lamplight,
Descending the broad hall stair,
Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,
And Edith with golden hair.
A whisper, and then a silence:
Yet I know by their merry eyes
They are plotting and planning together
To take me by surprise.
A sudden rush from the stairway,
A sudden raid from the hall!
By three doors left unguarded
They enter my castle wall!
They climb up into my turret
O'er the arms and back of my chair;
If I try to escape, they surround me;
They seem to be everywhere.
They almost devour me with kisses,
Their arms about me entwine,
Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen
In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!
Do you think, o blue-eyed banditti,
Because you have scaled the wall,
Such an old mustache as I am
Is not a match for you all?
I have you fast in my fortress,
And will not let you depart,
But put you down into the dungeon
In the round-tower of my heart.
And there will I keep you forever,
Yes, forever and a day,
Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,
And moulder in dust away!
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Requested by June V. on May 7, 2009
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The Swing
How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!
Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside--
Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown--
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!
-Robert Louis Stevenson
Requested by Ethelyn H. on May 8, 2009
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VETERAN'S PRIDE
Sailed I have many oceans,
above the stormiest of waves.
Visited land with castles tall,
seen the many hues of man.
For twenty years I served my Flag,
with pride and honor too.
But was once at home,
where I saw the price
of what our freedom took.
A veteran from long
forgotten wars, a hero
quiet and proud.
He did not labor
on what freedom cost,
or scars he carried within,
the limb he had lost.
He spoke of pride,
honor,
Flag.
Of the country he did so love.
His eyes did gleam
when night skies flared,
slight twitch from memories past.
Freedom bells glared with sound,
many people cheered.
A silent tear
from a hero fell.
For comrades lost through years.
Smile my friend,
enjoy the night.
For when to bed you go,
know your freedom
shall be in hands,
of heroes laid in rows.
GSMC (SW) Jose G. Acosta USN (Ret)
©2002 Jose G. Acosta
Requested by Michael R. on May 10, 2009
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RESPONSE TO OLD BROWN HORSE POEM
That
horse looks familiar....
I think his name is Bucky!?!
He was a good old horse
and he occasionally got lucky.
Yep,
that's his name.
He was fast on the track,
until once he pulled up lame.
He was a rising star
but now
he leans on the fence
counting every bike, bus, and car.
If you see him again on a walk
make sure you stop
by and chat
as he certainly likes to talk.
Requested by Timmy R. on May 13, 2009
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"Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker."
by Ogden Nash
Requested
by Al E. on May 28, 2009
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Too Much Time On My
Hands
by Styx
Sitting on this barstool talking like a damn fool
Got the twelve o'clock news
blues
And I've given up hope on the afternoon soaps
And a bottle of cold brew
Is it any wonder I'm not crazy? Is
it any wonder I'm sane at all
Well I'm so tired of losing- I got nothing to do and all day to do it
I go out cruisin'
but I've no place to go and all night to get there
Is it any wonder I'm not a criminal?
Is it any wonder I'm not in
jail?
Is it any wonder I've got
Too much time on my hands, it's ticking away with my sanity
I've got too much
time on my hands, it's hard to believe such a calamity
I've got too much time on my hands and it's ticking away from me
Too
much time on my hands, too much time on my hands
Too much time on my hands
Well, I'm a jet fuel genius - I can solve
the world's problems
Without even trying
I have dozens of friends and the fun never ends
That is, as long as I'm
buying
Is it any wonder I'm not the president
(He's not the president)
Is it any wonder I'm null and void?
Is
it any wonder I've got
Too much time on my hands, it's ticking away with my sanity
I've got too much time on my
hands, it's hard to believe such a calamity
I've got too much time on my hands and it's ticking away from me
Too much
time on my hands, too much time on my hands
Too much time on my hands…
Requested by Ruthie J. on August 4, 2010
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There Once Was A Man From Nantucket
Author Unknown...The earliest published version of this poem appeared in 1902 in the
Princeton Tiger
There once was a man from Nantucket
Who kept all his cash in a
bucket.
But his daughter, named Nan,
Ran away with a man
And as for the bucket, Nantucket.
But he followed the pair to Pawtucket,
The man and the girl with the bucket;
And he said to the man,
He was welcome to Nan,
But as for the bucket, Pawtucket.
Then the pair followed Pa to Manhasset,
Where
he still held the cash as an asset,
But Nan and the man
Stole the money and ran,
And as for the bucket, Manhasset.
Requested by Jim and Irene V. on November 22, 2012
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