Poem-A-Day: To Keep the Memory of Charlotte Forten Grimké by Angelina Weld Grimké

To Keep the Memory of Charlotte Forten Grimké by Angelina Weld Grimké     Still are there wonders of the dark and day; The muted shrillings of shy things at night, So small beneath the stars and moon; The peace, dream-frail, but perfect while the light Lies softly on the leaves at noon. These are, and these will be Until Eternity; But she who loved them well has gone away.   Each dawn, while yet the east is veiléd grey, The birds about her window wake and sing; And far away each day some lark I know is singing where the grasses swing; Some robin calls and calls at dark. These are, and these will be Until Eternity; But she who loved them well has gone away.   The wild flowers that she loved down green ways stray; Her roses lift their wistful buds at dawn, But not for eyes that loved them best; Only her little pansies are all gone, Some lying softly on her breast. And flowers will bud and be Until Eternity; But she who loved them well has gone away.   Where has she gone? And who is there to say? But this we know: her gentle spirit moves And is where beauty never wanes, Perchance by other streams, mid other groves; And to us here, ah! she remains A lovely memory, Until Eternity; She came, she loved, and then she went away.        Today's poem is in the public domain. About This Poem Charlotte Forten Grimké, an African American antislavery activist, poet, and educator, was Angelina Weld Grimké's aunt. Angelina lived with Charlotte during her teenage years, while her father served as the American consul to the Dominican Republic. Work by Grimké Selected Works of Angelina Weld Grimké (Oxford University Press, 1991)            July 13, 2013 Angelina Weld Grimké was born on February 27, 1880, in Boston. In addition to being a poet, she was one of the first African American women to have a play publicly performed. Grimké died in 1958. Related Poems The Earth Opens and Welcomes You by Abdellatif Laâbi Song ["When I am dead, my dearest"] by Christina Rossetti Untitled [This is what was bequeathed us] by Gregory Orr Poem-A-Day Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-A-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. Browse the Poem-A-Day Archive.     Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.

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