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The Path to Home by Edgar A. Guest

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American Literature – American Poetry – Edgar A. Guest – Poems by Edgar A. Guest
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The Path to Home

The Path to Home
There’s the mother at the doorway, and the children at the gate,
And the little parlor windows with the curtains white and straight.
There are shaggy asters blooming in the bed that lines the fence, …Continue reading …

Fine
Isn’t it fine when the day is done,
And the petty battles are lost or won,
When the gold is made and the ink is dried, … Continue Reading …

Spoiling Them
“You’re spoiling them!” the mother cries
When I give way to weepy eyes
And let them do the things they wish, … Continue Reading …

An Old-Fashioned Welcome
There’s nothing cheers a fellow up just like a hearty greeting,
A handclasp and an honest smile that flash the joy of meeting;
And when at friendly doors you ring, somehow it seems to free you … Continue Reading …

Our House
We play at our house and have all sorts of fun,
An’ there’s always a game when the supper is done;
An’ at our house there’s marks on the walls an’ the stairs, … Continue Reading …

A Plea
God grant me these: the strength to do
Some needed service here;
The wisdom to be brave and true; … Continue Reading …

Story-Time
“Tell us a story,” comes the cry
From little lips when nights are cold,
And in the grate the flames leap high. … Continue Reading …

The Mother Watch
She never closed her eyes in sleep till we were all in bed;
On party nights till we came home she often sat and read.
We little thought about it then, when we were young and gay, … Continue Reading …

Faces
I look into the faces of the people passing by,
The glad ones and the sad ones, and the lined with misery,
And I wonder why the sorrow or the twinkle in the eye; … Continue Reading …

The Lost Purse
I remember the excitement and the terrible alarm
That worried everybody when William broke his arm;
An’ how frantic Pa and Ma got only jes’ the other day … Continue Reading …

The Doctor
I don’t see why Pa likes him so,
And seems so glad to have him come;
He jabs my ribs and wants to know … Continue Reading …

Lines for a Flag Raising Ceremony
Full many a flag the breeze has kissed;
Through ages long the morning sun
Has risen o’er the early mist … Continue Reading …

The Toy-Strewn Home
Give me the house where the toys are strewn,
Where the dolls are asleep in the chairs,
Where the building blocks and the toy balloon … Continue Reading …

Kindness
One never knows
How far a word of kindness goes;
One never sees … Continue Reading …

Under the Roof Where the Laughter Rings
Under the roof where the laughter rings,
That’s where I long to be;
There are all of the glorious things, … Continue Reading …

St. Valentine’s Day
Let loose the sails of love and let them fill
With breezes sweet with tenderness to-day;
Scorn not the praises youthful lovers say; … Continue Reading …

Dr. Johnson’s Picture Cow
Got a sliver in my hand
An’ it hurt t’ beat the band,
An’ got white around it, too; … Continue Reading …

Compensation
I’d like to think when life is done
That I had filled a needed post,
That here and there I’d paid my fare … Continue Reading …

It Couldn’t Be Done
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one … Continue Reading …

Service
You never hear the robins brag about the sweetness of their song,
Nor do they stop their music gay whene’er a poor man comes along.
God taught them how to sing an’ when they’d learned the art He sent them here … Continue Reading …

At the Peace Table
Who shall sit at the table, then, when the terms of peace are made—
The wisest men of the troubled lands in their silver and gold brocade?
Yes, they shall gather in solemn state to speak for each living race, … Continue Reading …

Mrs. Malone and the Censor
 When Mrs. Malone got a letter from Pat
She started to read it aloud in her flat.
“Dear Mary,” it started, “I can’t tell you much,… Continue Reading …

The Unknown Friends
We cannot count our friends, nor say
How many praise us day by day.
Each one of us has friends that he … Continue Reading …

First Name Friends
Though some may yearn for titles great, and seek the frills of fame,
I do not care to have an extra handle to my name.
I am not hungry for the pomp of life’s high dignities, … Continue Reading …

The Furnace Door
My father is a peaceful man;
He tries in every way he can
To live a life of gentleness … Continue Reading …

Out Fishin’
A feller isn’t thinkin’ mean,
Out fishin’;
His thoughts are mostly good an’ clean, … Continue Reading …

Selling the Old Home
The little house has grown too small, or rather we have grown
Too big to dwell within the walls where all our joys were known.
And so, obedient to the wish of her we love so well, … Continue Reading …

Daddies
I would rather be the daddy
Of a romping, roguish crew,
Of a bright-eyed chubby laddie … Continue Reading …

Picture Books
I hold the finest picture books
Are woods an’ fields an’ runnin’ brooks;
An’ when the month o’ May has done … Continue Reading …

Mother’s Job
I’m just the man to make things right,
To mend a sleigh or make a kite,
Or wrestle on the floor and play … Continue Reading …

The Approach of Christmas
There’s a little chap at our house that is being mighty good—
Keeps the front lawn looking tidy in the way we’ve said he should;
Doesn’t leave his little wagon, when he’s finished with his play, … Continue Reading …

The Bride
Little lady at the altar,
Vowing by God’s book and psalter
To be faithful, fond and true … Continue Reading …

An Apple Tree in France
An apple tree beside the way,
Drinking the sunshine day by day
According to the Master’s plan, … Continue Reading …

Along the Paths o’ Glory
Along the paths o’ glory there are faces new to-day,
There are youthful hearts and sturdy that have found the westward way.
From the rugged roads o’ duty they have turned without a sigh, … Continue Reading …

Cliffs of Scotland
Cliffs of Scotland, guard them well,
Shield them from the blizzard’s rage;
Let your granite towers tell … Continue Reading …

Mother’s Party Dress
“Some day,” says Ma, “I’m goin’ to get
A party dress all trimmed with jet,
An’ hire a seamstress in, an’ she … Continue Reading …

Little Fishermen
A little ship goes out to sea
As soon as we have finished tea;
Off yonder where the big moon glows … Continue Reading …

The Cookie-Lady
She is gentle, kind and fair,
And there’s silver in her hair;
She has known the touch of sorrow, … Continue Reading …

Pleasure’s Signs
There’s a bump on his brow and a smear on his cheek
That is plainly the stain of his tears;
At his neck there’s a glorious sun-painted streak, … Continue Reading …

Snooping ‘Round
Last night I caught him on his knees and looking underneath the bed,
And oh, the guilty look he wore, and oh, the stammered words he said,
When I, pretending to be cross, said: “Hey, young fellow, what’s your game?” … Continue Reading …

Bud Discusses Cleanliness
First thing in the morning, last I hear at night,
Get it when I come from school: “My, you look a sight!
Go upstairs this minute, an’ roll your sleeves up high … Continue Reading …

Tied Down
“They tie you down,” a woman said,
Whose cheeks should have been flaming red
With shame to speak of children so.” … Continue Reading …

Our Country
God grant that we shall never see
Our country slave to lust and greed;
God grant that here all men shall be … Continue Reading …

Fatherhood
Before you came, my little lad,
I used to think that I was good;
Some vicious habits, too, I had, … Continue Reading …

A Choice
Sure, they get stubborn at times; they worry and fret us a lot,
But I’d rather be crossed by a glad little boy and frequently worried than not. … Continue Reading …

What Father Knows
My father knows the proper way
The nation should be run;
He tells us children every day … Continue Reading …

Back Home
Glad to get back home again,
Where abide the friendly men;
Glad to see the same old scenes … Continue Reading …

The Dead Return
The dead return. I know they do;
The glad smile may have passed from view,
The ringing voice that cheered us so … Continue Reading …

My Soul and I
When winter shuts a fellow in and turns the lock upon his door,
There’s nothing else for him to do but sit and dream his bygones o’er.
And then before an open fire he smokes his pipe, while in the blaze … Continue Reading …

Aunty
I’m sorry for a feller if he hasn’t any aunt,
To let him eat and do the things his mother says he can’t.
An aunt to come a visitin’ or one to go and see … Continue Reading …

Bread and Jam
I wish I was a poet like the men that write in books
The poems that we have to learn on valleys, hills an’ brooks;
I’d write of things that children like an’ know an’ understand, … Continue Reading …

The Little Woman
The little woman, to her I bow
And doff my hat as I pass her by;
I reverence the furrows that mark her brow, … Continue Reading …

The Father of the Man
I can’t help thinkin’ o’ the lad!
Here’s summer bringin’ trees to fruit,
An’ every bush with roses clad, … Continue Reading …

When Mother Made an Angel Cake
When mother baked an angel cake we kids would gather round
An’ watch her gentle hands at work, an’ never make a sound; … Continue Reading …

The Gift of Play
Some have the gift of song and some possess the gift of silver speech,
Some have the gift of leadership and some the ways of life can teach. … Continue Reading …

Toys and Life
You can learn a lot from boys
By the way they use their toys;
Some are selfish in their care, … Continue Reading …

Being Dad on Christmas Eve
They’ve hung their stockings up with care,
And I am in my old arm chair,
And mother’s busy dragging out … Continue Reading …

Little Girls
God made the little boys for fun, for rough and tumble times of play;
He made their little legs to run and race and scamper through the day. … Continue Reading …

United States
He shall be great who serves his country well.
He shall be loved who ever guards her fame.
His worth the starry banner long shall tell, … Continue Reading …

When My Ship Comes In
You shall have satin and silk to wear,
When my ship comes in;
And jewels to shine in your raven hair, … Continue Reading …

The Children
The children bring us laughter, and the children bring us tears;
They string our joys, like jewels bright, upon the thread of years; … Continue Reading …

The Comedian
Whatever the task and whatever the risk, wherever the flag’s in air,
The funny man with his sunny ways is sure to be laughing there. … Continue Reading …

Faith
It is faith that bridges the land of breath
To the realms of the souls departed,
That comforts the living in days of death, … Continue Reading …

The Burden Bearer
Oh, my shoulders grow aweary of the burdens I am bearin’,
An’ I grumble when I’m footsore at the rough road I am farin’, … Continue Reading …

“It’s a Boy“
The doctor leads a busy life, he wages war with death;
Long hours he spends to help the one who’s fighting hard for breath; … Continue Reading …

The Finest Fellowship
There may be finer pleasures than just tramping with your boy,
And better ways to spend a day; there may be sweeter joy; … Continue Reading …

Different
The kids at our house number three,
As different as they can be;
And if perchance they numbered six … Continue Reading …

There Will Always Be Something to Do
There will always be something to do, my boy;
There will always be wrongs to right;
There will always be need for a manly breed … Continue Reading …

A Boy at Christmas
If I could have my wish to-night it would not be for wealth or fame,
It would not be for some delight that men who live in luxury claim, … Continue Reading …

Best Way to Read a Book
Best way to read a book I know
Is get a lad of six or so,
And curl him up upon my knee … Continue Reading …

The Song of Loved Ones
The father toils at his work all day,
And he hums this song as he plods away:”
Heigho! for the mother and babe of three … Continue Reading …

Becoming a Dad
Old women say that men don’t know
The pain through which all mothers go,
And maybe that is true, and yet … Continue Reading …

The Test
You can brag about the famous men you know;
You may boast about the great men you have met,
Parsons, eloquent and wise; stars in histrionic skies; … Continue Reading …

The Old Wooden Tub
I like to get to thinking of the old days that are gone,
When there were joys that never more the world will look upon, … Continue Reading …

Lost Opportunities
“When I am rich,” he used to say,”
A thousand joys I’ll give away;
I’ll walk among the poor I find … Continue Reading …

Patriotism
I think my country needs my vote,
I know it doesn’t need my throat,
My lungs and larynx, too; … Continue Reading …

The Tramp
Eagerly he took my dime,
Then shuffled on his way,
Thick with sin and filth and grime, … Continue Reading …

The Lonely Garden
I wonder what the trees will say,
The trees that used to share his play,
An’ knew him as the little lad … Continue Reading …

The Silver Stripes
When we’ve honored the heroes returning from France
And we’ve mourned for the heroes who fell,
When we’ve done all we can for the homecoming man … Continue Reading …

Tinkerin’ at Home
Some folks there be who seem to need excitement fast and furious,
An’ reckon all the joys that have no thrill in ’em are spurious. … Continue Reading …

When an Old Man Gets to Thinking
When an old man gets to thinking of the years he’s traveled through,
He hears again the laughter of the little ones he knew. … Continue Reading …

My Job
I wonder where’s a better job than buying cake and meat,
And chocolate drops and sugar buns for little folks to eat? … Continue Reading …

A Good Name
Men talk too much of gold and fame,
And not enough about a name;
And yet a good name’s better far … Continue Reading …

Alone
Strange thoughts come to the man alone;
‘Tis then, if ever, he talks with God,
And views himself as a single clod … Continue Reading …

Shut-Ins
We’re gittin’ so we need again
To see the sproutin’ seed again.
We’ve been shut up all winter long … Continue Reading …

The Cut-Down Trousers
When father couldn’t wear them mother cut them down for me;
She took the slack in fore and aft, and hemmed them at the knee; … Continue Reading …

Dinner-Time
Tuggin’ at your bottle,
An’ it’s O, you’re mighty sweet!
Just a bunch of dimples … Continue Reading …

The Pay Envelope
Is it all in the envelope holding your pay?
Is that all you’re working for day after day?
Are you getting no more from your toil than the gold … Continue Reading …

The Evening-Prayer
Little girlie, kneeling there,
Speaking low your evening prayer,
In your cunning little nightie … Continue Reading …

Thoughts of a Father
We’ve never seen the Father here, but we have known the Son,
The finest type of manhood since the world was first begun. … Continue Reading …

When a Little Baby Dies
When a little baby dies
And its wee form silent lies,
And its little cheeks seem waxen … Continue Reading …

To the Boy
I have no wish, my little lad,
To climb the towering heights of fame.
I am content to be your dad … Continue Reading …

His Dog
Pete bristles when the doorbell rings.
Last night he didn’t act the same.
Dogs have a way of knowin’ things, … Continue Reading …

Lullaby
The golden dreamboat’s ready, all her silken sails are spread,
And the breeze is gently blowing to the fairy port of Bed, … Continue Reading …

The Old-Fashioned Parents
The good old-fashioned mothers and the good old-fashioned dads,
With their good old-fashioned lassies and their good old-fashioned lads, … Continue Reading …

The Fun of Forgiving
Sometimes I’m almost glad to hear when I get home that they’ve been bad;
And though I try to look severe, within my heart I’m really glad … Continue Reading …

Tonsils
One day the doctor came because my throat was feeling awful sore,
And when he looked inside to see he said: “It’s like it was before; … Continue Reading …

At Dawn
They come to my room at the break of the day,
With their faces all smiles and their minds full of play;
They come on their tip-toes and silently creep … Continue Reading …

Names and Faces
I do not ask a store of wealth,
Nor special gift of power;
I hope always for strength and health … Continue Reading …

Pleasing Dad
When I was but a little lad, not more than two or three,
I noticed in a general way my dad was proud of me.
He liked the little ways I had, the simple things I said; … Continue Reading …

Living Flowers
“I’m never alone in the garden,” he said. “I’m never alone with the flowers. … Continue Reading …

The Common Joys
These joys are free to all who live,
The rich and poor, the great and low:
The charms which kindness has to give, … Continue Reading …

His Example
There are little eyes upon you, and they’re watching night and day;
There are little ears that quickly take in every word you say; … Continue Reading …

The Change-Worker
A feller don’t start in to think of himself, an’ the part that he’s playin’ down here, … Continue Reading …

A Convalescin’ Woman
A convalescin’ woman does the strangest sort o’ things,
An’ it’s wonderful the courage that a little new strength brings;
O, it’s never safe to leave her for an hour or two alone, … Continue Reading …

The Doubtful To-morrow
Whenever I walk through God’s Acres of Dead
I wonder how often the mute voices said:”
I will do a kind deed or will lighten a sorrow … Continue Reading …

Tommy Atkins’ Way
He was battle-scarred and ugly with the marks of shot and shell,
And we knew that British Tommy had a stirring tale to tell,
So we asked him where he got it and what disarranged his face, … Continue Reading …

The Right Family
With time our notions allus change,
An’ years make old idees seem strange—
Take Mary there—time was when she … Continue Reading …

A Lesson from Golf
He couldn’t use his driver any better on the tee
Than the chap that he was licking, who just happened to be me;
I could hit them with a brassie just as straight and just as far, … Continue Reading …

Father’s Chore
My Pa can hit his thumbnail with a hammer and keep still;
He can cut himself while shaving an’ not swear;
If a ladder slips beneath him an’ he gets a nasty spill … Continue Reading …

The March o’ Man
Down to work o’ mornings, an’ back to home at nights,
Down to hours o’ labor, an’ home to sweet delights;
Down to care an’ trouble, an’ home to love an’ rest, … Continue Reading …

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

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