Thursday, June 25, 2009

Summer

BED IN SUMMER

In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light,
In summer, quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people's feet,
Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?

{found in my copy of "A Child's Garden of Verses" Copyright, 1929 Illustration by Eulalie}

4 comments:

Nanna said...

Robert L. Stevenson is one of my favorite poets and I love the book A Child's Garden of Verses. Thanks for the memories.

Samantha said...

What a great poem! My children are having the hardest time understanding why I am making them sleep when it is still light out! I think they secretly think I am making them go to bed early!

esther said...

I had this poem in a book growing up and it always made me feel vindicated in declaring the injustice of bedtime when it was still light out. I remember reading it, thinking, "exactly!! will someone PLEASE tell mom and dad!?!"
and now i'm doing it to my kids! Ha!

the ungourmet said...

I love this! It's so sweet!