Classic Poem

I.

A Christmas Card! A small slight common message merely.
And yet it makes as though the summer sun shone clearly
Across the wintry track
Just now so gaunt and black!

II.

A little thing can change the current of our dreaming
And change the grey wan waves to azure waters gleaming,
Make all our spirits sing;
Yes,—just one little thing!

III.

A little thing gives Life. A little thing brings pain.
A touch upon the heart,—and song speaks not again.
Another touch, and lo!
Forth the song-waters flow.

IV.

A thrill along the heart: a kiss upon the cheek:
And out the ripples gush,—and the mute cravings speak.
Woman can kill or save;
Can build or burst a grave.

V.

A glance from eyes to eyes: a pressure of the hand:
And flowers fill all the paths, and sunlight fills the land.
A woman's word can bring,
In mid-December, Spring.

VI.

In mid-December, May; or winter in mid-June:
And in the darkest night the magic of full moon.
A woman's glance or kiss
Can more than compass this!