Impudence

Impudence written by William Henry Davies

From "The Hour of Magic", 1922

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One morning, when the world was grey and cold,
   And every face looked dull and full of care,
There passed me, puffing clouds of silver breath,
   A lovely maiden, with a jaunty air.

The red carnations flamed in both her cheeks,
   Her teeth were white and shown; while either eye
Shone like a little pool on Christchurch Hill
   When it has stolen more than half the sky.

And when I saw such beauty, young and fresh,
   So proud, although the day was grey and cold,
'Who ever saw,' I laughed, and stared amazed,
   'Such impudence before in this old world!'

This work is in the public domain in countries where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less.