A Heap o’ Livin’ by Edgar A. Guest

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American Literature – American Poetry – Edgar A. Guest – Poems by Edgar A. Guest – A Heap o’ Livin’
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A Heap o’ Livin’

When You Know A Fellow
When you get to know a fellow, know his joys
and know his cares,
When you’ve come to understand him and the … Continue Reading …

The Rough Little Rascal
A smudge on his nose and a smear on his cheek
And knees that might not have been washed in a week;
A bump on his forehead, a scar on his lip, … Continue Reading …

It Isn’t Costly
Does the grouch get richer quicker than the
friendly sort of man?
Can the grumbler labor better than the cheerful … Continue Reading …

My Creed
To live as gently as I can;
To be, no matter where, a man;
To take what comes of good or ill … Continue Reading …

A Wish
I’d like to be a boy again, a care-free prince of
joy again,
I’d like to tread the hills and dales the way I … Continue Reading …

What A Baby Costs
“How much do babies cost?” said he
The other night upon my knee;
And then I said: “They cost a lot; … Continue Reading …

Mother
Never a sigh for the cares that she bore for me
Never a thought of the joys that flew by;
Her one regret that she couldn’t do more for me, … Continue Reading …

Selfish
I am selfish in my wishin’ every sort o’ joy for
you;
I am selfish when I tell you that I’m wishin’… Continue Reading …

Rich
Who has a troop of romping youth
About his parlor floor,
Who nightly hears a round of cheers, … Continue Reading …

Ma And The Auto
Before we take an auto ride Pa says to Ma:
“My dear,
Now just remember I don’t need suggestions … Continue Reading …

On Going Home For Christmas
He little knew the sorrow that was in his vacant
chair;
He never guessed they’d miss him, or he’d … Continue Reading …

At Sugar Camp
At Sugar Camp the cook is kind
And laughs the laugh we knew as boys;
And there we slip away and find … Continue Reading …

Home
It takes a heap o’ livin’ in a house t’ make it
home,
A heap o’ sun an’ shadder, an’ ye sometimes … Continue Reading …

The Path That Leads To Home
The little path that leads to home,
That is the road for me,
I know no finer path to roam, … Continue Reading …

A Friend’s Greeting
I’d like to be the sort of friend that you have
been to me;
I’d like to be the help that you’ve been always … Continue Reading …

A Song
None knows the day that friends must part
None knows how near is sorrow;
If there be laughter in your heart, … Continue Reading …

Old Friends
I do not say new friends are not considerate and
true,
Or that their smiles ain’t genuine, but still I’m … Continue Reading …

Folks
We was speakin’ of folks, jes’ common folks,
An’ we come to this conclusion,
That wherever they be, on land or sea, … Continue Reading …

Little Master Mischievous
Little Master Mischievous, that’s the name for you;
There’s no better title that describes the things you do:
Into something all the while where you shouldn’t be, … Continue Reading …

Opportunity
So long as men shall be on earth
There will be tasks for them to do,
Some way for them to show their worth; … Continue Reading …

The Sorrow Tugs
There’s a lot of joy in the smiling world,
there’s plenty of morning sun,
And laughter and songs and dances, too, whenever … Continue Reading …

Only A Dad
Only a dad with a tired face,
Coming home from the daily race,
Bringing little of gold or fame … Continue Reading …

Hard Knocks
I’m not the man to say that failure’s sweet,
Nor tell a chap to laugh when things go wrong;
I know it hurts to have to take defeat … Continue Reading …

Spring In The Trenches
It’s coming time for planting in that little patch of ground,
Where the lad and I made merry as he followed me around;
Now the sun is getting higher, and the skies above are blue, … Continue Reading …

Father
Used to wonder just why father
Never had much time for play,
Used to wonder why he’d rather … Continue Reading …

Laddies
Show me the boy who never threw
A stone at someone’s cat,
Or never hurled a snowball swift … Continue Reading …

The Living Beauties
I never knew, until they went,
How much their laughter really meant
I never knew how much the place … Continue Reading …

At Breakfast Time
My Pa he eats his breakfast in a funny sort of way:
We hardly ever see him at the first meal of the day.
Ma puts his food before him and he settles in his place … Continue Reading …

Can’t
Can’t is the worst word that’s written or spoken;
Doing more harm here than slander and lies;
On it is many a strong spirit broken, … Continue Reading …

James Whitcomb Riley
There must be great rejoicin’ on the Golden
Shore to-day,
An’ the big an’ little angels must be feelin’ … Continue Reading …

Results And Roses
The man who wants a garden fair,
Or small or very big,
With flowers growing here and there, … Continue Reading …

The Other Fellow
Are you fond of your wife and your children fair?
So is the other fellow.
Do you crave pleasures for them to share? … Continue Reading …

Our Duty To Our Flag
Less hate and greed
Is what we need
And more of service true; … Continue Reading …

The Hunter
Cheek that is tanned to the wind of the north.
Body that jests at the bite of the cold,
Limbs that are eager and strong to go forth … Continue Reading …

It’s September
It’s September, and the orchards are afire with
red and gold,
And the nights with dew are heavy, and the … Continue Reading …

How Do You Tackle Your Work?
How do you tackle your work each day?
Are you scared of the job you find?
Do you grapple the task that comes your way… Continue Reading …

Life
Life is a gift to be used every day,
Not to be smothered and hidden away;
It isn’t a thing to be stored in the chest … Continue Reading …

Story Telling
Most every night when they’re in bed,
And both their little prayers have said,
They shout for me to come upstairs… Continue Reading …

Canning Time
There’s a wondrous smell of spices
In the kitchen,
Most bewitchin’; … Continue Reading …

The Dull Road
  It’s the dull road that leads to the gay road;
    The practice that leads to success;
  The work road that leads to the play road; … Continue Reading …

The Apple Tree
  When an apple tree is ready for the world to
    come and eat,
  There isn’t any structure in the land that’s … Continue Reading …

The Home-Town
  Some folks leave home for money
    And some leave home for fame,
  Some seek skies always sunny, … Continue Reading …

Take Home A Smile
  Take home a smile; forget the petty cares,
  The dull, grim grind of all the day’s affairs;
  The day is done, come be yourself awhile: … Continue Reading …

Courage
Courage isn’t a brilliant dash,
A daring deed in a moment’s flash;
It isn’t an instantaneous thing … Continue Reading …

Greatness
We can be great by helping one another;
We can be loved for very simple deeds;
Who has the grateful mention of a brother … Continue Reading …

The Epicure
  I’ve sipped a rich man’s sparkling wine,
    His silverware I’ve handled.
  I’ve placed these battered legs of mine … Continue Reading …

The Gentle Gardener
  I’d like to leave but daffodills to mark my little
      way,
  To leave but tulips red and white behind me as … Continue Reading …

The Finest Age
  When he was only nine months old,
    And plump and round and pink of cheek,
  A joy to tickle and to hold, … Continue Reading …

Success And Failure
  I do not think all failure’s undeserved,
    And all success is merely someone’s luck;
  Some men are down because they were unnerved, … Continue Reading …

Care-Free Youth
The skies are blue and the sun is out and the
grass is green and soft
And the old charm’s back in the apple tree … Continue Reading …

My Paw Said So
  Foxes can talk if you know how to listen,
     My Paw said so.
  Owls have big eyes that sparkle an’ glisten, … Continue Reading …

Preparedness
  Right must not live in idleness,
    Nor dwell in smug content;
  It must be strong, against the throng … Continue Reading …

The Peaceful Warriors
  Let others sing their songs of war
    And chant their hymns of splendid death,
  Let others praise the soldiers’ ways … Continue Reading …

Failures
  ‘Tis better to have tried in vain,
    Sincerely striving for a goal,
  Than to have lived upon the plain … Continue Reading …

Raisin Pie
  There’s a heap of pent-up goodness in the yellow
     bantam corn,
  And I sort o’ like to linger round a berry patch … Continue Reading …

Life’s Tests
If never a sorrow came to us, and never a care
we knew;
If every hope were realized, and every dream … Continue Reading …

The Ready Artists
  The green is in the meadow and the blue is in
     the sky,
  And all of Nature’s artists have their colors … Continue Reading …

The Happiest Days
  You do not know it, little man,
  In your summer coat of tan
  And your legs bereft of hose … Continue Reading …

The Real Bait
To gentle ways I am inclined;
I have no wish to kill.
To creatures dumb I would be kind; … Continue Reading …

True Nobility
Who does his task from day to day
And meets whatever comes his way,
Believing God has willed it so, … Continue Reading …

The Sulkers
  The world’s too busy now to pause
  To listen to a whiner’s cause;
  It has no time to stop and pet … Continue Reading …

Purpose
Not for the sake of the gold,
Not for the sake of the fame,
Not for the prize would I hold … Continue Reading …

Mother’s Glasses
  I’ve told about the times that Ma can’t find
      her pocketbook,
  And how we have to hustle round for it to help … Continue Reading …

The Princess Pat’s
  A touch of the plain and the prairie,
    A bit of the Motherland, too;
  A strain of the fur-trapper wary, … Continue Reading …

Be A Friend
  Be a friend. You don’t need money;
  Just a disposition sunny;
  Just the wish to help another … Continue Reading …

Thanksgiving
  Thankful for the glory of the old Red, White
     and Blue,
  For the spirit of America that still is staunch … Continue Reading …

Ma And Her Check Book
  Ma has a dandy little book that’s full of narrow
    slips,
  An’ when she wants to pay a bill a page from … Continue Reading …

The Fishing Cure
  There’s nothing that builds up a toil-weary soul
    Like a day on a stream,
  Back on the banks of the old fishing hole … Continue Reading …

The Happy Slow Thinker
Full many a time a thought has come
That had a bitter meaning in it.
And in the conversation’s hum … Continue Reading …

Out-Of-Doors
  The kids are out-of-doors once more;
  The heavy leggins that they wore,
  The winter caps that covered ears … Continue Reading …

Real Singing
  You can talk about your music, and your
    operatic airs,
  And your phonographic record that Caruso’s … Continue Reading …

The Bumps And Bruises Doctor
  I’m the bumps and bruises doctor;
    I’m the expert that they seek
  When their rough and tumble playing … Continue Reading …

When Pa Counts
  Pa’s not so very big or brave; he can’t lift
     weights like Uncle Jim;
  His hands are soft like little girls’; most anyone … Continue Reading …

Peace
  A man must earn his hour of peace,
    Must pay for it with hours of strife and care,
  Must win by toil the evening’s sweet release, … Continue Reading …

No Place To Go
The happiest nights
I ever know
Are those when I’ve … Continue Reading …

Defeat
No one is beat till he quits,
No one is through till he stops,
No matter how hard Failure hits, … Continue Reading …

A Patriotic Wish
  I’d like to be the sort of man the flag could boast about;
  I’d like to be the sort of man it cannot live without;
  I’d like to be the type of man … Continue Reading …

The Price Of Joy
  You don’t begrudge the labor when the roses
    start to bloom;
  You don’t recall the dreary days that won you … Continue Reading …

The Things That Make A Soldier Great
The things that make a soldier great and send
him out to die,
To face the flaming cannon’s mouth nor ever … Continue Reading …

The Joy Of A Dog
Ma says no, it’s too much care
An’ it will scatter germs an’ hair,
An’ it’s a nuisance through and through. … Continue Reading …

Homesick
It’s tough when you are homesick in a strange
and distant place;
It’s anguish when you’re hungry for an … Continue Reading …

The Perfect Dinner Table
A table cloth that’s slightly soiled
Where greasy little hands have toiled;
The napkins kept in silver rings, … Continue Reading …

To-Morrow
He was going to be all that a mortal should be
To-morrow.
No one should be kinder or braver than he … Continue Reading …

A Prayer
God grant me kindly thought
And patience through the day,
And in the things I’ve wrought … Continue Reading …

To The Lady In The Electric
  Lady in the show case carriage,
    Do not think that I’m a bear;
  Not for worlds would I disparage … Continue Reading …

The Man Who Couldn’t Save
He spent what he made, or he gave it away,
Tried to save money, and would for a day,
Started a bank-account time an’ again, … Continue Reading …

Answering Him
  “When shall I be a man?” he said,
  As I was putting him to bed.
  “How many years will have to be … Continue Reading …

Father And Son
  Be more than his dad,
  Be a chum to the lad;
  Be a part of his life … Continue Reading …

The June Couple
  She is fair to see and sweet,
  Dainty from her head to feet,
  Modest, as her blushing shows, … Continue Reading …

At The Door
  He wiped his shoes before his door,
  But ere he entered he did more;
  ‘Twas not enough to cleanse his feet … Continue Reading …

Duty
To do your little bit of toil,
To play life’s game with head erect;
To stoop to nothing that would soil … Continue Reading …

A Bear Story
There was a bear—his name was Jim,
An’ children weren’t askeered of him,
An’ he lived in a cave, where he … Continue Reading …

Autumn At The Orchard
The sumac’s flaming scarlet on the edges o’ the
lake,
An’ the pear trees are invitin’ everyone t’ come … Continue Reading …

When Pa Comes Home
  When Pa comes home, I’m at the door,
  An’ then he grabs me off the floor
  An’ throws me up an’ catches me … Continue Reading …

Mother’s Day
Gentle hands that never weary toiling in love’s
vineyard sweet,
Eyes that seem forever cheery when our eyes … Continue Reading …

Division
You cannot gather every rose,
Nor every pleasure claim,
Nor bask in every breeze that blows, … Continue Reading …

A Man
A man doesn’t whine at his losses,
A man doesn’t whimper and fret,
Or rail at the weight of his crosses … Continue Reading …

A Vow
  I might not ever scale the mountain heights
    Where all the great men stand in glory now;
  I may not ever gain the world’s delights … Continue Reading …

Treasures
  Some folks I know, when friends drop in
  To visit for awhile and chin,
  Just lead them round the rooms and halls … Continue Reading …

Challenge
  Life is a challenge to the bold,
    It flings its gauntlet down
  And bids us, if we seek for gold … Continue Reading …

A Toast To Happiness
To happiness I raise my glass,
The goal of every human,
The hope of every clan and class … Continue Reading …

Guessing Time
It’s guessing time at our house; every evening
after tea
We start guessing what old Santa’s going to … Continue Reading …

Understanding
When I was young and frivolous and never
stopped to think,
When I was always doing wrong, or just upon … Continue Reading …

People Liked Him
People liked him, not because
He was rich or known to fame;
He had never won applause … Continue Reading …

When Father Shook The Stove
  ‘Twas not so many years ago,
    Say, twenty-two or three,
  When zero weather or below … Continue Reading …

House-Hunting
Time was when spring returned we went
To find another home to rent;
We wanted fresher, cleaner walls, … Continue Reading …

An Easy World
  It’s an easy world to live in if you choose to
      make it so;
  You never need to suffer, save the griefs that … Continue Reading …

The States
There is no star within the flag
That’s brighter than its brothers,
And when of Michigan I brag, … Continue Reading …

The Obligation Of Friendship
  You ought to be fine for the sake of the folks
      Who think you are fine.
  If others have faith in you doubly you’re bound … Continue Reading …

Under The Skin Of Men
  Did you ever sit down and talk with men
    In a serious sort of a way,
  On their views of life and ponder then … Continue Reading …

The Finer Thought
  How fine it is at night to say:
  “I have not wronged a soul to-day.
  I have not by a word or deed, … Continue Reading …

Stuck
  I’m up against it day by day,
    My ignorance is distressing;
  The things I don’t know on the way … Continue Reading …

Eternal Friendship
  Who once has had a friend has found
    The link ‘twixt mortal and divine;
  Though now he sleeps in hallowed ground, … Continue Reading …

Faith
I believe in the world and its bigness and splendor:
That most of the hearts beating round us are tender;
That days are but footsteps and years are but miles … Continue Reading …

I
  Nobody hates me more than I;
    No enemy have I to-day
  That I so bravely must defy; … Continue Reading …

The Things That Haven’t Been Done Before
  The things that haven’t been done before,
    Those are the things to try;
  Columbus dreamed of an unknown shore … Continue Reading …

Revenge
If I had hatred in my heart toward my fellow
man,
If I were pressed to do him ill, to conjure up a … Continue Reading …

Promotion
  Promotion comes to him who sticks
  Unto his work and never kicks,
  Who watches neither clock nor sun … Continue Reading …

Expectation
  Most folks, as I’ve noticed, in pleasure an’ strife,
  Are always expecting too much out of life.
      They wail an’ they fret … Continue Reading …

Hard Work
  One day, in ages dark and dim,
    A toiler, weary, worn and faint,
  Who found his task too much for him, … Continue Reading …

Gratitude
  Be grateful for the kindly friends that walk
     along your way;
  Be grateful for the skies of blue that smile … Continue Reading …

A Real Man
  Men are of two kinds, and he
  Was of the kind I’d like to be.
  Some preach their virtues, and a few … Continue Reading …

The Neighborly Man
  Some are eager to be famous, some are striving
     to be great,
  Some are toiling to be leaders of their nation … Continue Reading …

Roses
When God first viewed the rose He’d made
He smiled, and thought it passing fair;
Upon the bloom His hands He laid, … Continue Reading …

The Junk Box
My father often used to say:
“My boy don’t throw a thing away:
You’ll find a use for it some day.” … Continue Reading …

The Boy That Was
  When the hair about the temples starts to show
    the signs of gray,
  And a fellow realizes that he’s wandering far … Continue Reading …

As Fall The Leaves
  As fall the leaves, so drop the days
    In silence from the tree of life;
  Born for a little while to blaze … Continue Reading …

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American Literature – American Poetry – Edgar A. Guest – Poems by Edgar A. Guest

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