A Song
by Lizette Woodworth ReeseO Love, he went a-straying,
A long time ago!
I missed him in the Maying,
When blossoms were of snow;
So back I came by the old sweet way;
And for I loved him so,
I wept that he came not with me,
A long time ago!Wide open stood my chamber door,
And one stepped forth to greet;
Gray Grief, strange Grief, who turned me sore
With words he spake so sweet.
I gave him meat; I gave him drink;
(And listened for Love's feet).
How many years? I cannot think;
In truth, I do not know--
A long time ago!O Love, he came not back again,
Although I kept me fair;
And each white May, in field and lane,
I waited for him there!
Yea, he forgot; but Grief stayed on,
And in Love's empty chair
Doth sit and tell of days long gone--
'Tis more than I can bear!
Lizette Woodworth Reese, the Poet Laureate of Maryland in 1931, spent most of her career as a high school English teacher in Baltimore; she has quite an extensive oeuvre, prose as well as poetry, most of which did quite well, both in popularity and in critical acclaim, in her day. Her most famous poem is "Tears".
