Poems for Fall Break & Thanksgiving

Dear Members, Alumni, and Friends of the JSMT:

Quotemail will be going on hiatus for a few weeks while I undergo and recover from surgery on November 20^th. We’ll resume distribution in early-mid December with poems and prose to celebrate the holiday season. In the meantime, however, Fall Break and Thanksgiving are just around the corner, so here are some versified treats to enjoy as we make the transition from late autumn into early winter.

“The Lone Pumpkin” (Anonymous)

Contributed by WLB :)

A lone pumpkin grew on a green pumpkin vine.

He was round; he was fat; he was yellow!

“No silly Jack-O-Lantern shall I make,” he said.

“I’m determined that I’ll be a useful fellow!”

So he raised up his head when the cook came around,

And she chose him at once as the winner!

Now the glory of the Jack is in the candle,

On the gatepost where his grin sits up so high!

And the glory of the turkey is the drumstick,

But the glory of the pumpkin is the pie!

“Simple Gifts” by Shaker Elder Joseph Brackett, Jr. (1848)

1. ‘Tis the gift to be simple,
‘Tis the gift to be free,
‘Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
It will be in the valley of love and delight.

Refrain: 

When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed.
And to turn, turn will be our delight,
‘Til by turning, turning we come round right.

2. ‘Tis the gift to be loved and that love to return,
‘Tis the gift to be taught and a richer gift to learn,
And when we expect of others what we try to live each day,
Then we’ll all live together and we’ll all learn to say,

Refrain

3. ‘Tis the gift to have friends and a true friend to be,
‘Tis the gift to think of others not to only think of “me,”
And when we hear what others really think and really feel,
Then we’ll all live together with a love that is real. 

Refrain

“Leaves” by Anonymous

The leaves had a wonderful frolic.

They danced to the wind’s loud song.

They whirled, and they floated, and scampered.

They circled and flew along.

The Moon saw the little leaves dancing.

Each looked like a small brown bird.

The Man in the Moon smiled and listened.

And this is the song he heard.

“The North Wind is calling, is calling,

And we must whirl round and round,

And then, when our dancing is ended,

We’ll make a warm quilt for the ground.”

Until next time –

Rob :)