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Chaplin, Ralph, 1887-1961

"Bars and Shadows"


Oh loveliness! why do you torture so
With such keen beauty till the day appears?
Why touch to life things buried long ago,
Whose aching cries trouble the heart to tears;
Ghostly--like wind tossed sea gulls calling low
Out of the poignant vistas of the years?

PHANTOMS
Ghost of a mountain
And ghost of a moon;
Night birds sink droopingly
Over the dune
Clouds drifting hazily
Stars blurring through;
Darkness come close to me--
Darkness and you.
Mist on the water
And mist in the sky;
Netted with silver
The waves ripple by.
_Ghost of a solitude_
_Lit with dead stars._
_You have your memories_
_I have my bars!_

SEVEN LITTLE SPARROWS
Beyond the deep-cut window
The bars are heaped with snow,
And seven little sparrows
Are sitting in a row.
Fluffy blur of snowflakes;
Dappled haze of light;
The narrow prison vista
Is all awhirl with white.
Seven little sparrows
Ruffled brown and grey
Snuggled close against the bars--
And this is Christmas day!

SALAAM!
Serene, complacent, satisfied,
Content with things that be;
The paragon of paltriness
Upraised for all to see;
With loving pride he cherishes
His mediocrity!
The smirking, ass-like multitudes
Cringe down at his command.


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