All the World to Me
by Josh Castle
Rain
Gently, sweetly, taps the rain,
Slithers down the window pane,
Rushes out into the lane
To be swallowed by the drain.
Thunder
Thunder, thunder, crashes in the night!
Under, wonder, dashes with the light!
Blunder, sunder, everything in sight!
Thunder, thunder, gives me such a fright!
Wind
Whistle the thistle, rustle the tree,
Quiver the river, ruffle the sea.
Whither, oh, shall I go, shall I blow, shall I know?
Thither, oh, shall I go, where I'll be free!
Snow
It's so cold and white and snowy,
And the bitter wind is blowy,
And the village lights at night
Are warm and glowy.
Such a scene is quaint and lovely;
Both my hands are snug and glovely,
And the stars are glittering
So bright abovely.
Planes
I'm afraid of airplanes;
Maybe you are, too?
If we fly together,
Could I sit with you?
Trains
I'd dearly love to ride a train
On mountain top or lowly plain,
To see the beauties of the world
Before my thirsty eyes unfurled,
To watch the fluffy clouds whiz by,
To find the lonely deserts dry,
To cross a river on a bridge,
To skirt a canyon on a ridge,
To skate the tundra cold and bleak,
To glide upon the highest peak,
To slide down into forests lush,
To hear the valley's twilit hush,
To rumble through the whirling night,
To slumber in the starry light.
Oh, how I'd love to ride a train,
Especially if it would rain!
Automobiles
Up and down and up and down,
Over hill and into town,
Out across the countryside
With the highway as our guide,
We ride!
Five Things
Beneath the wood dresser, there lie these five things:
A marble, a nickel, a pen, and two rings.
These gems are too lovely to grace such a tomb;
I'll keep them all safe in a box in my room.
Small
I wish to be tiny, I wish to be small,
I wish to be nothing and no one at all;
I wish to be hidden somewhere in this house:
A ghost in the walls or a little grey mouse.
Raspberry Jam
Raspberry, strawberry, blackberry jam!
How wondrously, splendidly sticky I am!
And would I like seconds? Yes, sir! and yes, ma'am!
Of raspberry, strawberry, blackberry jam!
Who is Wise?
Oh, who is wise, my darling?
Oh, who is wise, my love?
And shall you know the truth, dear,
When someone speaks thereof?
For certainty is fickle:
In dogma can it end;
And rhetorics coercive
Our plainest meanings bend.
The narrow path is muddled
By errors and misdeeds,
By slickened slopes and herrings,
By straw men and their creeds.
Oh, who is wise, my darling?
Oh, who is wise, my sweet?
And shall you sift the truth, love,
When fallacies accrete?
But hark unto the list'ner,
And imitate the kind,
For wisdom is convergence
Of every open mind.
Be slow in judgment ever,
Yet never cease to seek
The thoughtful, honest conduct,
The truest words to speak.
Goodnight Song
And when you speak those words to me
As sweet and low as words can be,
The breeze slides gently o'er the sill
With murmurs of the distant rill,
With fragrance from the little grove
Of twilit grass and humble clove;
And crickets in the darkness sing
With stars and planets spiraling;
And sleep dissolves the worried knot,
The frayed and tangled day forgot.
I reach for you, to pull you near,
To hear your whisper in my ear,
To trace your curves with fingertips.
To feel the smile upon your lips,
For you mean all the world, you see;
For you mean all the world to me.
I'd Rather Not Sleep
Of my life, a whole third!
It's too much; it's absurd!
For what crime have I this
Lengthy sentence incurred?
To be conscious, I doze;
To awake, I repose;
A few changes to this
Regimen I propose!
I would rather not snooze:
There's so much time to lose!
There are so many other
Endeavors I'd choose!
So, please don't let me sleep
And I promise (yawn) to keep...
Um...And something and something...
And counting...the sheep...(zzz...)
Little Bird
So far I am from home, little bird,
So far I am from home.
I did not choose to roam, little bird,
I did not choose to roam.
I chased a shiny thing, little bird,
I chased a shiny thing.
I took up on the wing, little bird,
I took up on the wing.
The night is falling and
The wood is calling and
The land is sprawling out before me.
The stars, my heading; and
The wind, my bedding; and
The shadows spreading go before me.
The whirlwind bore me long, little bird,
The whirlwind bore me long.
I sang this hurting song, little bird,
I sang this hurting song.
My heart aches for the nest, little bird,
My heart aches for the nest.
I long my wings to rest, little bird,
I long my wings to rest.
The night is falling and
The wood is calling and
The land is sprawling out before me.
The stars, my heading; and
The wind, my bedding; and
The shadows spreading go before me.
Fireflies
Green stars a-shimmering, green orbs alight,
Green glitters glimmering, all through the night.
Sing of the fireflies, sing of the sea,
Sing while the fire dies, softly for me.
My mother humming low, my sister too,
My heart a thrumming glow with joy anew.
Sing of the fireflies, sing of the sea,
Sing while the fire dies, softly for me.
My father sailing far, my brother too,
My soul, the trailing star bravely pursue.
Sing of the fireflies, sing of the sea,
Sing while the fire dies, softly for me.
Come not the light of morn, come not the day,
Come only night reborn, ever to stay.
Sing of the fireflies, sing of the sea,
Sing while the fire dies, softly for me.