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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
TIMID THINGS, by JOHN HAMPTON ATKINSON First Line: In elfish dream I hold discourse with ghosts Last Line: "and leave the goats to butt their enemies." | |||
In elfish dream I hold discourse with ghosts And voiceless trees and feathered folks. And hosts Of mute and timid things beneath the skies Unfold a thrifty turn before my eyes: The felted beaver, ever out of reach, Lithe squirrel softly sliding round a beach, The furry otter or the velvet mole Or wary chipmunk peeping from his hole, A colt betwixt a nubbin and his fear, The fawn behind its mother, trailing near. The antelope, alert to lurking foes, Turns on me ear and eye and pointed nose. While fascination holds it in its track, A fearsome ripple runs along its back, The glow of fear and wonder in its eyes Like silken gloss of spangled butterflies. A play upon my banter, "Why so fleet?" Then vibrates back as if on winged feet: "To skim the hedges, clear the dank coulees, And leave the goats to butt their enemies." | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CHARLIE MACHREE by WILLIAM JAMES HOPPIN THE MEN BEHIND THE GUNS by JOHN JEROME ROONEY THE WHITE ROAD UP ATHIRT THE HILL by WILLIAM BARNES TO JOY by EDMUND CHARLES BLUNDEN LOST LAUGHTER by MINNIE HALLOWELL BOWEN IRREPARABLENESS by ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING |
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