The contracts of the day lay claim
To sleepy morning minds
And din of commerce drives away
Reflections on the kinds
Of occupations children find
Sufficient to the day.
They cannot count as profligate
The hours wiled away
Splashing in the languid stream,
Down in the wooded park,
Telling tales ‘bout clouds by day,
Or ghost stories by dark,
Or simply talking with a friend
Philosophy and love
While splashing toes within the brook
Where willows sway above.
Yes, contracts make their daily claim
To stir us from our bed,
And commerce with all humankind
Provides our daily bread,
But somewhere still a stream invites
—With psalms languid and clear—
Us to be more than what we eat
Oh, give us ears to hear!