The Spoiler

The Spoiler written by William Henry Davies

From "A Poet's Calendar", 1927

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When I put out my thoughts to grass
Among the horses, sheep and cows,
And let them run with squirrels, when
They raise a storm in leafy boughs;
When I had dreams of pools and lakes,
The Earth's bright eyes that never close -
There came a man to fill my mind
With all about our dry old laws.

To spoil my dreams of little buds
That smile in March's troubled face;
Of woodnuts, mostly born in twins,
Among the leaves that interlace;
Of babies wearing on each wrist
Bracelets of fat; and toddlers small,
That work their arms, like wings, to fly -
The moment they begin to fall!

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