"The Word" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend December 3, 2017   The Word   Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Oh, a word is a gem, or a stone, or a song,    Or a flame, or a two-edged sword; Or a rose in bloom, or a sweet perfume,    Or a drop of gall is a word.   You may choose your word like a connoisseur,    And polish it up with art, But the word that sways, and stirs, and stays,    Is the word that comes from the heart.   You may work on your word a thousand weeks,    But it will not glow like one That all unsought, leaps forth white hot,    When the fountains of feeling run.            This poem is in the public domain. About This Poem   "The Word" originally appeared in New Thought Pastels (Elizabeth Towne, 1906).   Ella Wheeler Wilcox was born on November 5, 1850, in Johnstown Center, Wisconsin. Her poetry collections include Poems of Passion (W. B. Conkey Company, 1883) and Poems of Peace (Gay & Bird, 1906). She died on October 30, 1919. Poetry by Wilcox   Poems of Problems (Leopold Classic Library, 2015) "Ars Poetica" by Leslie McGrath "A Great Need" by Hafez "Vocabulary" by Jason Schneiderman Help Support Poem-a-Day   If you value Poem-a-Day, please consider a monthly donation or one-time gift to help make it possible. Poem-a-Day is the only digital series publishing new, previously unpublished work by today's poets each weekday morning. The free series, which also features a curated selection of classic poems on weekends, reaches 450,000+ readers daily. Thank you! 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.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038