He said—
I have always said I would go sometime in the autumn
Away from the bare boughs and the fallen leaves,
Away from the lonely sounds and the faded colors,
And all the ancient sorrow, and change that grieves.
I have always said I would go – and now it’s autumn –
To an island where the wild hibiscus grows
And parakeets flock to the groves at twilight
And fragrance drifts from bays where moonlight glows.
But there would be the vasty sound of breakers
Come in to toss their pearls upon the sand.
All through the night – a longing of great waters
Trying to make the vastness understand.
I have always said I would go sometime in the autumn
Away from the lonely sounds and change that grieves –
But here in my heart is the sound of a distant ocean
And here in my heart is the sound of these falling leaves.
Glen Ward Dresbach
She said—
If once you have slept on an island
You’ll never be quite the same;
You may look as you looked the day before
And go by the same old name,
You may bustle about in street and shop;
You may sit at home and sew,
But you’ll see blue water and wheeling gulls
Wherever your feet may go.
You may chat with the neighbors of this and that
And close to your fire keep,
But you’ll hear ship whistle and lighthouse bell
And tides beat through your sleep.
Oh, you won’t know why, and you can’t say how
Such change upon you came,
But—once you have slept on an island
You’ll never be quite the same!
Rachel Field
