Wherever

Wherever we are, it is our friends that make our world.

~ Henry Drummond

True Wealth

The world may take away from me

My money or my gold,

The riches that I might have had,

Or treasures I may hold.

My substance may be squandered and

New wealth not be accrued;

I may have missed the chance from which

Prosperity ascends,

But I'll be happy anyhow

Can I but keep some friends.

~ Fred Toothaker

Tender and Warm

Tender and warm the joys of life -

Good friends, the faithful, and the true.

~ John Hay

Friendship

Though Love be deeper, Friendship is more wide;

Like some high plateau stretching limitless,

It may not feel the ultimate caress

Of sun-kissed peaks, remote and glorified,

But here the light, with gentler winds allied,

The broad horizon sweeps, till loneliness,

The cruel tyrant of the soul's distress,

In such sweet company may not abide.

Friendship has vision, though dear Love be blind,

And swift and full communion in the fair

Free flight of high and sudden ecstasy,

The broad excursions where, mind knit to mind,

And heart renewed, can all things dare,

Lit by the fire of perfect sympathy.

~ Corinne Roosevelt Robinson

Still All I Prize

Still all I prize,

Laughter and thought and friends, I have.

~ Rupert Brooke

Lamps of Love

Each friend is like a lamp of love
That makes a tiny glow
To shine in every darkened place
My feet may chance to go.

I treat each lamp with tenderness
And trim the wicks with care,
For I would lose my way, I fear,
Unless their light was there.

I polish each with kindly thoughts
And fill it to the brim
With oil of faith that tells my friends
How much I cherish them.

I marvel at their brilliance as
A king with treasures might,
For should I lose one lamp of love
My path would be less bright.

~ June Masters Bacher

Summer's Eve

The sun moves westward out of sight;
Its warmth remains to greet the night
When sounds of crickets fill the air
And fireflies venture from each lair
To fascinate in unseen flight
Those who watch their twinkling light.
And from the south a gentle breeze
Ruffles the leaves of maple trees
That try to shade the moon's rich glow
As it reflects the porch below,
And folks are reluctant to leave
Enchantments of a summer's eve.

~ Neil C. Fitzgerald

River Grove

We walked along the river grove

One scented August night

And saw the moon's bright scimitar

Etch scenes of pure delight.

We watched the calm and noble elms

Adjust their dusky robes,

Touched with living sequins

Of fireflies' dancing globes.

The poplar trees seemed as candles,

The stars their winking flames,

And the breeze kept us enraptured

With thoughts of far-off names.

~ Robert Freeman Bound

Fireflies

Fireflies

Punctuate the darkness

With periods of light.

A meteor's dash

Erases its meaning

From the sky's blackboard.

The sum of man's knowledge

Is not equal

To the quiet equation of the stars.

~ Robert Lee Brothers

Lazy Days

The lazy, languid August days
Foretell the mist autumn haze
Which soon the summer sky will glaze.
The locusts call both day and night;
The ants are storing all in sight
As birds prepare for southward flight.
I cannot bring myself to stir
Because on these days I prefer
To drift along and dream awhile
And bask in summer's final smile.

~ Mrs. Garnet Alley Hampton

The Friendly Brook

This lazy little brook I saw
Was such a friendly one.
It strolled along all glittery
From playing in the sun.
It had a pleasant chuckle too,
Soft laughter barely heard.
It went its careless, smiling way
As free as any bird.
It toyed with leaves and
small brown rocks;
It splashed green ferns and reeds.
It gave a rink to bird and beast,
Decked watercress with beads.
I wondered where it wandered to,
Rippling by with joy inside it.
So to find where it was going,
I just strolled along beside it.

~ Ruby Lee Mitchell

A Day Up River

Breathe in this quietness of earth and sky,
The river shining in the summer sun
As wavelets lap the shore and willows sigh;
Such hours, such lovely hours are halcyon.
The sky is very blue this August day;
The lazy white clouds hardly move at all.
I watch two bright green dragonflies at play;
I hear, far off, a crow's discordant call.
The riverbank is edged with pickerelweed,
Blue vervain, and the pearly arrowhead.
A day like this can fill the heart's deep need
For something more than meat and daily bread.
A hidden cricket chirps, a wood thrush sings;
God gives His peace in simple, common things.

~ Edith S. Butler

Picnic

We hike the road for a picnic
This sun-dappled summer day,
Under the lace of willow trees
That trims the winding roadway.

We find a cool spot by the brook
And spread good things to eat
Across a checkered tablecloth ---
What a wondrous noontime treat.

We pick blackberries for dessert
And search for rare wildflowers;
We're entertained by sweet birdsong
That floats from  nearby bowers.

The sun is sinking in the west;
We head home filled with pleasure,
With memories of this summer day
Stored in our hearts to treasure,

~ Earle J. Grant

Summer World

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The Face of the Warm, Bright World

The face of the warm, bright world

is the face of a flower.

~ Algernon Charles Swinburne

Gingham Girls

The zinnias are gathered on my lawn;
The gingham girls in pinafores are neat
Are whispering low in voices soft and sweet
And reaching heavenward toward the sun;
They'll turn and follow it till day is done.
And if they could in summer free their feet,
I think they'd follow with a dancing beat
And sway and polka with fancy run.
Their pinafores would flutter in the breeze,
The pretty pinks, the reds, maroons,and blues.
The tangerine, the lilacs, and the rose ---
Their blooms would open, and they'd look so pleased
And nod at me to say, "How do you do?"
And I'd smile at the gingham girls' bright clothes.

~ Edna Staples

These I Have Loved

These I have loved since I was little:
Wood to build with or to whittle.
Wind in the grass and falling rain,
First leaves along a country lane,
Yellow flowers, cloudy weather,
River-bottom smell, old leather,
Fields newly plowed, young corn in rows,

Back-country roads and cawing crows,
Stone walls with stiles going over,
Daisies, Queen Anne's lace, and clover,
Night tunes of crickets, frog songs too,
Starched cotton cloth, the color blue,
Bells that ring from a white church steeple,
Friendly dogs and friendly people.

~ Elizabeth-Ellen Long

Dog Wanted

I don't want a dog that is wee and effeminate,
Fluffy and peevish and coyly discriminate;
Yapping his wants in querulous tone,
preferring a cake to a good honest bone.
I don't want a beast that is simply enormous,
Making me feel as obscure as a dormouse
Whenever he hurtles with jubilant paws
On my shoulders and rips with his powerful claws
My sturdiest frocks; the kind of a mammal
That fits in a parlor as well as a camel,
That makes the floor shake underfoot when he treads,
And bumps into tables and bounds over beds.
The sort of pet that I have in mind
Is a dog of the portable, washable kind;
Not huge and unwieldy, not frilly and silly,
Not sleek and not fuzzy, not fawning, not chilly -
A merry, straightforward, affectionate creature
Who likes me as a playmate, respects me as teacher,
And thumps with his tail when he sees me come near
As gladly as if I'd been gone for a year;
Whose eyes, when I praise him, grow warm with elation;
Whose tail droops in shame at my disapprobation;
No pedigreed plaything to win me a cup -
Just a portable, washable, lovable pup!

~ Margaret Mackprang Mackay

Hiding

Little Puss and I
Like to hide in the grass
And wonder
About all the things that pass,
Like wind that sings
In the evergreen tree
And puffy white clouds
Floating by in the sky;
Or a ladybug that climbs
A stem
But just can't flit
Like a butterfly.
Then Little Puss reaches
To pat my cheek,
As though she's
Really trying to speak
In her kitten way
To say, "Mew.
It's a wonderful world,
And I love you."

~ Emily Brueske

My Tiger

He rubs his head against my legs,
He arches up his back,
He does quick rolls upon the floor
Or takes a different tack
By jumping on my lap to purr,
His tail against my chin;
He uses all his bag of tricks
Each time I let him in.
I love these demonstrations,
But do I think them true?
Nobody really owns a cat;
The fact is, he owns you.

~ O.L. Abbott

The Cat

The cat could very well

be man's best friend but

would never stoop to 

admit it.

~ Doug Larson

My Treasures

I have a thousand pictures
That are near and dear to me;
And when I'm feeling lonesome,
I enjoy their company.

These are my valued treasures,
And I view them one by one.
Then I realize just how wealthy
In this world I have become.

The diamonds are my children
And my wife of many years.
My relatives are all pure gold
Through laughter and through tears.

The silver are my loyal friends
Who are scattered near and far.
They give me joy and gladness.
God protect them where they are.

~ Royce Cookson

Small Gift

A small gift arrived today;
Many would consider it poor,
But your small letter gave me more
Than any surprise in a box:
It brought your dear, kind voice
And memories of evenings we talked
Hours past when students should sleep.
This new letter I now will keep
And hold dear to my heart,
For tonight we'll share words
Though we are miles apart.

~ Fanny Washington

Light

I am Light.

I bring warmth and happiness.

I seek out all places on the earth,

Even to the depths of the sea.

I am the spark of happiness on the face of a child

And the glow of remembrance in the eyes of the old.

I shine in the hearts of all men;

And, though I be hidden from sight,

The ember still burns,

Waiting to be rekindled in the look of a friend.

I am in the greeting of a boy for his first puppy,

and a man for his bride.

I am Light.

I am a rainbow reaching to the heavens

to renew man’s covenant with God.

My colors reflect the peace of a meadow

and the tranquility of a lake.

I am Light.

I guide the wanderer to a place of rest.

I breathe life into all things,

and watch over them as they grow.

I am Light.

I am Love.

~ Jackie Cavalla

The Happiest Miser

The happiest miser is the man
Who treasures every friend he can.
May our good friends forever see
More of heaven smiling through me.
May our friendship embrace like a hug
And lovingly give their heart a tug.
Lord, make of me a faithful friend
Upon whose loyalty another can depend
The happiest miser is the man
Who treasures every friend he can.

~ Douglas Raymond Rose

There Is a Place

There is a place in the shadows of my mind
Where, on occasion, I travel just to find
The sweetest memories of two friends
Sharing conversation and coffee and the day begins.
The subject of talk I can't seem to recall;
The weather or season doesn't matter at all.
It's the time that we spent there sharing our thoughts,
Wondering how many life lessons we've yet to be taught.
This brings me comfort, a smile that's free.
No matter the distance between you and me,
You'll always be close in spirit and mind,
Somewhere in the shadows where I dwell sometimes.

~ Tazka Azbell-Pavlas

The Sweetest Music

The sweetest music is

not in the oratorio,

but in the human voice

when it speaks from its

instant life tones of

tenderness, truth, or courage.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Friend

A bright sunset may flare and die

Unnoticed by the human eye.

Flowers may grow and bloom and fade,

A gay unheralded parade.

A man may have his work and food

And never think to call it good.

But when a friend, unknown or true,

Extends a helping hand to you,

it strikes a chord complete and strong

That in your heart become a song.

~ Gladys Rappe

A Friend Hears

A friend hears

the song in my heart

and sings it to me

when my memory fails.

~ Pioneer Girls Leaders' Handbook

Friendship Between Women

Friendship between women

can take different forms.

It can run  like a river, quietly and

sustainingly through life; it can be an

intermittent, sometime thing; or it can

explode like a meteor, altering the

atmosphere so that nothing ever feels

or looks the same again.

~ Molly Haskell

Vision by Sweetwater

It was like a dream of ladies sweeping by

The willows, clouds, deep meadowgrass, and the river.

Robin's sisters and my Aunt's lily daughter

Laughed and talked and tinkled light as wrens.

~ John Crowe Ransom