Shooting-Stars

Shooting-Stars written by William Henry Davies

From "A Poet's Calendar", 1927

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A little porch with roof and sides
Cobwebbed by overhanging leaves,
Led into that old woman's house;
The lattice windows almost blind
From heavy, leafy brows.

'Each time we see a shooting-star,
A child is born on earth,' she said;
'Six stars were mine, six children born,
But all my little chicks are dead.'

Eyes budded like a cat's by day,
They only showed sufficient light
To keep her little house all clean -
And flowered full large at night.

For well it pleased that poor old soul
To see the stars give children birth,
Sitting, inside her porch, alone;
Counting those babes, if any came,
And thinking of her own.

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