EXPECTANCY

Have you ever watched a batter,
Poised, and with his bat all set,
Filled with eager expectation,
And in keen anticipation
For that home run he may get?

Have you ever been an angler
Casting with your newest flies?
All the art you knew in fishing
You were trying, hoping, wishing
For a speckled beauty prize.

In the spring you'll see a robin
Gleaning straws to build a nest,
She has no idea of quitting,
And in due time she'll be sitting
With her nestlings 'neath her breast.

Life is filled with expectations
At whatever stage it be,
Youth's ambitions and romances,
Planning, scheming, taking chances
In eager expectancy.

SPRING IS HERE

Songbirds from the south are winging,
Children's skipping ropes are swinging,
Gurgling brooks are merrily singing,
Spring is everywhere;
O'er the mill-dam water's flowing,
Hark, the farmland cattle's lowing,
And the night winds softly blowing
Whispers "Spring is here".

Cease my soul thy sad repining,
See how bright the sun is shining,
It's no time for peevish whining,
Vernal Spring is here;
Banish all misgivings, doubtings,
See the tiny buds are sprouting,
Soon there'll be the annual outings
To the country fair.

Spring means life and resurrection,
Spring means flowers in true perfection,
Bursting out in each direction;
Fragrant is the air;
Springtime brings us consolation,
Spreading beauty through the nation,
May we each in our vocation
Its full beauties share.

Spring, 1950

SIGNS OF SPRING

Spring smiles again upon our land,
And radiates the quickened earth,
Once more again on every hand
Appears new hope, new life, new birth.

The willow trees don plumes of white,
New life appears in flower and tree,
And nature revels in delight
As song birds chant their melody.

As anglers check their tackle o'er
Hope springs eternal in each breast;
With coloured gadgets in galore,
They'll soon be on a fishing quest.

Again spring fever's in the air,
A malady none can't deny,
As young lads sit with dreamy stare,
And maidens with bewitching eye.

We know it's spring by signs we see,
And sounds that fall upon the ear,
We welcome spring, and all agree
It's the best season of the year.

Spring, 1950

DAY DREAMS

If I had wings as an eagle,
O'er unknown seas I'd soar,
Beyond the blue horizon,
To some undiscovered shore.
I'd fold my wings at twilight,
And end my ventured flight,
Where the golden hues of morning
Extends to the blue of night.

This virgin land I would possess,
And call it by some name,
With just the fairies hovering near
To hear me press my claim.
And in that quiet solitude,
In a land that's all unknown,
I'd reign supreme for just a day,
A king, but all alone.

And when my stay would terminate,
Then homeward I'd repair,
To hear again the traffic's din,
And factory whistles blare.
But I would think of that fair land
That once I called my own,
And where I ruled for one short day,
A king without a throne.

MIGRATION TIME

When northern lights flit o'er the sky,
And Arctic winds blow chill,
The honking geese bestir themselves
Their larders to refill.

They know migration time has come,
And soon on wings of flight,
They'll speed away to warmer climes
Far from the Arctic night.

They preen their feathers, test their wings,
And soon they're flying high,
These feathered squadrons from the north
In V-formations fly.

Their instinct is their chart and guide
By night as well as day,
Until they settle down upon
Some quiet lake or bay.

And there beneath the sunny skies
Far from the north's domain,
They spend vacation's term until
It's moving time again.

Then feathered squadrons from the south
When spring breaks winter's chain,
In V-formation back they'll fly
To northern haunts again.

THE SONGBIRD

Was there ever finer music,
Have you heard a sweeter note
Then the melodious outpouring
From a little songbird's throat?

Midst the willows, in a tree top,
Or a bough close by it's nest,
It pours forth it's paean of gladness
From it's little feathered breast.

It it needs no teacher's tuition,
Nor the pitch in music's scale,
As it chants it's song at vespers
In the twilight of the vale.

Flying south when winter threatens
It returns with vernal spring,
Think how many folk will listen
To that little songbird sing.

Giving freely of it's talent,
It performs a singer's role,
Comforting the sad and lonely,
Warming hearts that have grown cold.

February, 1949

PEACE AMID TUMULT

Above a roaring cataract
In an overhanding tree,
A robin built a cosy nest
To raise her family.
And there amid the torrent's din,
Above that rushing flood,
She felt at peace with all the world,
And reared her little brood.

And when the elements were at war,
When thunders roared on high,
Or when the lightning's vivid flash
Lit up the earth and sky;
And when the tree it swayed and shook
That robin's fragile nest,
The little fledgelings lay secure,
And warm beneath her breast.

This little mother reared her brood,
And kept them free from harm
She heeded not the torrent and
Found peace amid the storm.
So may we too if we are called
To face some anxious care,
And like our little feathered friend
Have peace instead of fear.

June, 1947

DIFFERENT OPINIONS

Said a seagull to a penguin
As he was passing by,
"Ye penguins are peculiar birds,
You cannot even fly."

"You are so slow and awkward,
And just waddles 'round each day;
And where you find enough to eat
Is more than I can say."

"A seagull is a nobler bird
I know you will agree;
With wings unfurled I span the world
To lands you'll never see."

"Said the penguin to the seagull,
You may be right my friend,
But there never was a penguin yet
Who on a seagull did depend."

"We may be clumsy, slow of wit,
We may look cross or glum,
But if we thrive where you would starve,
That proves we're not so dumb."

"Some seagulls has a lot to learn,
And brag and boast each day;
But penguins mind their business, and
Just live their simple way."

1947

THE STILLY NIGHT

Often in the stilly night
When in our sleep we're dreaming,
The moonbeams from the moon so bright
Through window shades comes streaming.

The moon and clouds play hide and seek
As stars so brightly glitter,
And o'er the moat and by the creek
The eerie shadows flitter.

The night hawk on it's nightly quest
So fleet of wing goes flying,
And snug beneath the robin's breast,
Her little brood is lying.

Wild creatures through the forest trail
With stealthy steps are wending,
And in the night a plaintive cry
Denotes some tragic ending.

The elves and fairies skip and prance
Through all the silent hours,
And moonlight shadows flit and dance
Amongst the leafy bowers.

And sometimes in a stilly night
The hours seem long and weary,
It's then we yearn for the sunlight
To end a night that's dreary.

June, 1950

MUSINGS

Often in the silent watches
When around me all is still,
It is then my thoughts go drifting,
Far away o'er vale and hill.

Mem'ries that will ever linger
Often shares my company,
Midst the old familiar places
Where I once was young and free.

Friends long vanished, high hopes shattered
Both on land and ocean deep,
Love and laughter mixed with sadness
I encounter ere I sleep.

By the silvery moonlit water
Where is heard the lone loon's cry,
There in fancy long I linger
'Til another day draws nigh.

What at last my journey's ended,
And through weariness I sleep,
Then again in dreams I wander,
And another tryst keep.

May, 1948

THE FIRST ROBIN

The robin is a welcome guest
When spring replaces winter's snow,
As o'er the morning air is heard
This little harbinger's "Cheerio."

Arriving from the sunny south
Where he has spent vacation's term,
We'll see him on some grassy plot
Eager to catch the early worm.

Soon with his mate at nesting time
He'll be as busy as a bee,
With fixing up a cosy nest
To raise a family, two or three.

Until we see that little bird
It doesn't seem like spring at all,
We listen in the early morn
To hear a robin redbreast call.

When nature wakes from winter's sleep
We love to feel the south winds blow,
But spring is not complete until
We hear a robin's "Cheerio."

May, 1948

THE CHANGING SEA

I stood one day on a headland bold
When the storm was at it's height,
The angry waves they seethed and fought
Like demons arrayed in fight;
And as the seas came rolling in
To dash against the shore,
They filled the caves of the headlands
With a loud and thunderous roar.

Again I stood on that headland
When the ocean lay at rest,
The seagulls swam so gracefully
Upon it's placid breast;
And as I gazed out o'er the main
Where the sky and ocean meet,
I thought of the giant that lay so still
And peaceful beneath my feet.

Our life is like the changing sea,
Oftimes we are opprest,
When worries and perplexities
Disturb our human breast.
May we each one be wafted on
Toward our port afar,
"Til at the sunset of our lives
We cross the harbor bar.

AUTUMN TIME

The autumn winds are sighing,
They're sighing in the trees,
The Autumn leaves are falling,
And scattering in the breeze;
The Summer days are over,
And wilted are the flowers;
The frost lies on the pumpkin
In the early morning hours.

The Autumn days are waning
With songbirds flying high,
Out o'er the blue horizon,
Towards the southern sky;
The oak trees and the maple
Are dressed in tints of gold;
No more is heard the splash and shout
Down by the swimmin' hole.

Thanksgiving comes with Autumn
When crops are garnered in,
From farmlands and the prairies
Ere Winter storms begin;
The seasons in their order
Bring blessings manifold;
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
Each has a leading role.

Autumn, 1948

MEMORIES

If time would turn back for a season,
For a year in the past that are gone,
I would romp once again in my boyhood,
And the days would speed merrily along.

When the catkins are blowing in springtime,
And the robin comes bobbin' along,
As the song sparrow sings in the tree top
With nothing to mar it's sweet song.

I'd hear once again the waves murmur,
And sniff the salt tang of the sea,
I'd watch the white sails in the sunset
And the sea gulls so graceful and free.

There would be the cool breezes at even,
I would hear the loon's cry in the night,
As it calls to it's mate o'er the water
Lit up by the moon's silvery light.

I'd wade once again in sea water,
And dig my bare toes in the sand,
And hunt the nest of the sand piper,
Where I'd gather sea shells in the strand.

These days they are gone past forever,
But a mem'rie they ever will be,
There a youngster with never a worry,
Once dwelt by the side of the sea.

WINTER SCENES

The snow flakes from the ether world
Comes whirling down in flight,
And soon the bosom of the earth
Lies clothed in spotless white.

King Winter with his magic wand
O'er earth a mantle throws,
And seats upon a crystal throne
The Lady of the Snows.

The borealis in the night
Lights up the northern sky,
And blazing sunsets shine and glint
On snow clad mountains high.

When winter nights are cold and clear
The stars like candles glow,
Moonbeams and shadows skip and dance
O'er fields of drifted snow.

A snow man on the corner lot,
Show shovel's grating sound,
And sparrows feeding 'round the door
Mean, winter's come to town.

January, 1949

WHAT THE SPARROW CHIRPED

It was a bright cold winter's day
When snow lay on the ground,
And the earth lay 'neath it's mantle
For many miles around.

A little flock of sparrows
Came fluttering through the air;
And soon they all were busy
Pecking bread crumbs scattered near.

And then one little fellow
More braver than the rest,
Came hopping up towards me,
And this was his address.

"I am only a little sparrow,
A bird of low degree;
And my food is sometimes scanty,
But there's One who cares for me."

"He gave me a coat of feathers,
They are very fine I know,
For they keeps me warm in winter
When the wintry winds do blow."

"He sees each fallen sparrow,
And hears their plaintive cry;
He counts us all each evening
When night is drawing nigh."

"Our earthly friends show kindness,
And strew bread crumbs around;
They pity us poor sparrows
When snow lies on the ground."

"My little heart is grateful
For food that's given free,
I know my feathered cousins
All think the same as me."

"Although I'm not a songster
I'll do the best I can,
To cheer you up each morning
When spring smiles on the land."

And when their meal was ended
Back to the eave they flew;
They all were filled and happy,
And it made me happy too.

January, 1946