My Cart 
Login 

Previous

Monosyllabic
by
Carl Sandburg


Next
 

Let me be monosyllabic to-day, O Lord.
Yesterday I loosed a snarl of words on a fool,
        on a child.
To-day, let me be monosyllabic . . . a crony of old men
        who wash sunlight in their fingers and
        enjoy slow-pacing clocks.

This poem is in the public domain.

 


Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967) was an American poet, children’s author, and biographer. The son of Swedish parents who immigrated to Illinois, Carl was forced to drop out of school after the eighth grade to help support the family. He worked at a number of different jobs, then did a stint as a hobo before volunteering to serve in the Spanish-American war. A plain-speaking poet with a style similar to that of Walt Whitman, Carl often chose American life as his subject matter--especially industry, agriculture, and the common man. Like Whitman, he attended several colleges, but never received a degree, except for honorary ones bestowed years later on the merit of his work.

 


Post New Comment:
transitions:
"Who wash sunlight in their fingers"...beautiful!
Posted 07/24/2016 05:28 PM
blueskies:
Perfect > a righteous prayer cloak'd as a poem!
Posted 07/24/2016 11:22 AM
Jean :D:
This is my daily prayer! I struggle to tell a short "story" to friends & family. Kindness, that I can do well.
Posted 07/24/2016 09:11 AM
rhonasheridan:
Delightful
Posted 07/24/2016 09:06 AM
Newf:
Yes, and let those words be kind. This is wonderful poetry and a wonderful prayer.
Posted 07/24/2016 07:28 AM


Contents of this web site and all original text and images therein are copyright © by Your Daily Poem. All rights reserved.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Purchasing books through any poet's Amazon links helps to support Your Daily Poem.
The material on this site may not be copied, reproduced, downloaded, distributed, transmitted, stored, altered, adapted,
or otherwise used in any way without the express written permission of the owner.