April 2, 2014
poetry

Leisure

whdaviesIf you weren’t aware, I enjoy reading and writing poetry.

On the odd occasion, I’ll post poems I’ve written to this space and share poems by others that shake my bones to the core.

As I’ve been reflecting on many things recently — personally and professionally — the following piece written by William Henry Davies is a poem that stops me dead in my tracks each time I read it.

Leisure

What is this life if,  full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
William Henry Davies, 1911
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