Classic Poem

Deep in the glimmering depths of woods to wait
Where countless leaves with every breeze unfold,
To watch the sunshine weave its thread of gold
Where tree trunks stand in tall alignment straight;
To hear the flicker challenging his mate
With chattering note, far-piercing clear and bold,
And mark how dimly in the forest old
The lights and shadows softly palpitate;

And there, shut closely from the outer world
To lie on some green slope and idly dream,
Touch hands, and smile, while over us unfurled
The leafy banners of the noontide gleam—
That was to find the Ponce de Leon spring
Of youth, and hope, and blossoms burgeoning.