Closed by Elizabeth Drew Stoddard

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend November 29, 2014   Closed   Elizabeth Drew Stoddard

The crimson dawn breaks through the clouded east, And waking breezes round the casement pipe; They blow the globes of dew from opening buds, And steal the odors of the sleeping flowers. The swallow calls its young ones from the eaves, To dart above their shadows on the lake, Till its long rollers redden in the sun, And bend the lances of the mirrored pines. Who knows the miracle that brings the morn? Still in my house I linger, though the night— The night that hides me from myself is gone. Light robes the world, but strips me bare again. I will not follow on the paths of day. I know the dregs within its crystal hours; The bearers of my cups have served me well; I drained them, and the bearers come no more. Rise, morning, rise, for those believing souls Who seek completion in day’s garish light. My casement I will close, keep shut my door, Till day and night are only dreams to me.            This poem is in the public domain. About This Poem   “Closed” was published in Stoddard’s collection Poems (Houghton Mifflin & Co., 1895).   Elizabeth Drew Stoddard was born in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, in 1823. She published both prose and poetry during her lifetime, including Poems (1895). She died in 1902. Poetry by Stoddard   Poems (Dodo Press, 2009) "To Night" by Percy Bysshe Shelley "Acquainted with the Night" by Robert Frost "Let Evening Come" by Jane Kenyon Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. 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