A Garden of Verses

When I was in second grade, I had a teacher named Ms. Cromwell. Now she wasn't my favorite teacher, but she inspired me to read poetry.



We all had to memorize a poem and recite it in front of the class. I chose a poem from an A.A. Milne book..called, "Are You a Good Little Girl, Jane?" I can still recite part of it...just a silly nilly poem, but it was the beginning of my love for poetry.

Did you save any of your childhood books? I only saved a few of mine, and most of them are poetry books.



This one was my absolute favorite: A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES by Robert Louis Stevenson. My all time favorite two poems as a child were in that book: THE SWING and THE LAND OF COUNTERPANE but he wrote so many I just loved and read over and over.


Next I loved Kate Greenaway, but mainly her illustrations. Here it is with my sweet French Doll all ready for Easter in her precious bonnet! The colors all go so well together, I have it sitting on her lap for display.


Then I just adored THE BIG GOLDEN BOOK OF POETRY...seen here with one my teddies I made about twelve years ago.


WYNKEN,BLYKEN,AND NOD was written by Eugene Fields...another wonder of a poet. I also have another one of his books that I'll have to share another day. He must have been such a sensitive man with a fantastic imagination.



Who can forget THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT? Such magical illustrations that are timeless.


Lastly, a book my mom gave me at the age of seven...one without pictures, so I didn't really grow to love it until a few years later. It is filled with all kinds of poems and I pick it up and am taken back as though I'm in a time machine. It's called THE FAMILY BOOK OF BEST BELOVED POEMS.


I'll close with just a little bit of one of the poems I still have bookmarked that I love.

LOVE
I love you ,
Not only for what you are,
But for what I am
When I am with you.

I love you,
Not only for what
You have made of yourself
But for what
You are making of me.

I love you
For the part of me
That you bring out;
I love you
For putting your hand
Into my heaped-up heart
And passing over
All the foolish, weak things
That you can't help
Dimly seeing there,
And for drawing out
Into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked
Quite far enough to find.

I love you because you
Are helping me to make
Of the lumber of my life
Not a tavern
But a temple;
Out of the works
Of every day
Not a reproach
But a song.

I love you
Because you have done
More than any creed
Could have done
To make me good,
And more than any fate
Could have done
To make me happy.

You have done it
WIthout a touch,
Without a word,
Without a sign,
You have done it
By being yourself.
Perhaps that is what
Being a friend means
After all.
-Roy Croft

Thanks for reading and for being my friends in blogland.

HAPPY EASTER!!!!