Song of Yesterday
But yesterday I looked away
O'er happy lands, where sunshine lay
In golden blots, inlaid with cooling spots
Of shade and wild forget-me-nots.
And cool and sweet, my wandering feet
Found pathways through the corn and wheat;
And out again where, down the lane,
The dust was dimpled with the rain.
But yesterday ... I was adream, astray,
From morning's red to evening's dray,
O'er sun-touched hills of daffodils,
Singing chorus to the whippoorwills.
I knew not cares, nor tears, nor prayers -
A mortal god, crowned unawares -
With sunset and a scepter-wand
Of willow branches in my hand.
The dewey blue of twilight grew
To purple, with a star or two,
Whose twinkling rays failed in the blaze
Of sudden fireflies through the haze.
And all my dreams were lit with gleams
Of that lost land of reedy streams,
Along whose brim forever swim
Pan' lilies, laughing up at him.
But yesterday!  O blooms of May
And summer roses - where are they?
And stars above, and paths to rove,
And all the sweet rewards thereof?
Lad and lass, and orchard pass,
And briered lane, and daisied grass;
Gleam and gloom, and wooded bloom,
And breezy breaths of June's perfume?
It may seem hard to extend our gratefulness and appreciation to the time in
which we live and the challenges it presents...financial crisis, global climate
change, terrorism, wars, energy depletion and uncertainty on all sides.  It
would be much easier to be appreciative in an era of good feeling, peace and
calm stability!  But difficult times are, also, times of growth, of new insights, of
new opportunities, of creativity and of emergence.  -- David Spangler
Everything remembered is dear, touching and precious.  The past
is safe, though we didn't know it at the time.  -- Susan Sontag
There is nothing higher or stronger or more useful in life
than good memories, especially memories connected
with childhood and home.  -- Fyodor Dostoevsky
Photos on this page are courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons and photographers:
mjohns; katkamin; talkingtree; cornfusion; Tara R; mattmanjos; MemaNH:
ARNatureGal: WillMann; Melanie Burger; Martin.LaBar; Indigo Jones
Please don't use the "Send Page" feature of your computer to send this whole
page in an e-mail page format.  If you'd like to share this page, please just send a
link.  The link to this page is:  
http://www.thepastwhispers.com/Song_of_Yesterday.html
No more for me and mine shall be
Thy sweetness -- save in memory;
No more the scenes that came before,
No more will come those days of yore!

-- James Whitcomb Riley