Page:The Old Road to Paradise.djvu/64

THE GARDEN

There were many flowers in my mother's garden,
 Sword-leaved gladiolus, taller far than I,
Sticky-leaved petunias, pink and purple-flaring,
 Velvet-painted pansies staring at the sky;

Scentless portulacas crowded down the borders,
 White and scarlet-petaled, satin-rose and gold,
Clustered sweet alyssum, lacy-white and scented,
 Sprays of gray-green lavender to keep till you were old;

In my mother's garden were green-leaved hiding-places,
 Nooks between the lilacs—oh, a pleasant place to play!
Still my heart can hide there, still my eyes can dream it,
 Though the long years lie between and I am far away;

When the world is hard now, when the city's clanging
 Tires my ears and tires my heart and dust lies everywhere,
I can dream the peace still of the soft wind's shining,
 I can be a child still and hide my heart from care.

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