One of my favorite books, as a child, was Poems to Read and to
Learn, Golden Press, 1955, a cheery pink book with charming
illustrations by Grace Dalles Clark. It included 80 well known poems
by Robert Louis Stevenson, A. A. Milne, Christina Rossetti, Walter
de la Mare, Hilda Clonkling, Rachel Field, Kate Greenaway, Vachel
Lindsay and many others. I attribute my love of poetry to this
wonderful little book.
I've had this sweet poem in my mind all week and decided to post on
it, since my yellow roses have started to bloom. There is a certain
perfect consistency of mud, smooth and pliable, that is marvelous to
plant your feet into on a hot summer day.
Mud
Mud is very nice to feel
All squishy-squash between the toes!
I'd rather wade in wiggly mud
Than smell a yellow rose.
Nobody else but the rosebush knows
How nice mud feels
Between the toes.
Polly Chase Boyden
Mud between the toes...not something we do so often as adults. Sounds like a great poetry book.
ReplyDeleteYour yellow rose is so pretty. I'm unable to have roses here...they'd become deer buffet in no time (of course, everything else is too)
Willow: Very interesting post today, the rose is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAaaah ~ Memories! I loved that book! Pretty roses, too!
ReplyDeleteI love the squish of wet sand/mud at the beach ... and that rose .. it is exquisite ... I bet its aroma is amazing too
ReplyDelete:-Daryl
It must be something that goes deep into our ancient brains, that pleasant feeling of "sole to soil!"
ReplyDeleteWhen I was fishing yesterday, mucking around the shoreline, my (sandaled) feet got pretty messy - and I couldn't have been happier.
I would love to get my hands on this little book of poems... for the boys, of course!
ReplyDeleteMG, it is a lovely book. You would like to have a copy just for yourself! :) I recently acquired a second copy that was in better shape than the old, well loved original I have.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with the little poem, except to ad it's more fun to do it with a friend!
ReplyDeleteWillow...what a precious little poem...and a lovely yellow rose....I am fond of small books of poetry...something quite genteel and feminine about them... :)
ReplyDeleteCharming! I love the sweet illustration, too. I remember once in college I did a paper on Christina Rossetti's poems. Her doggerel rhythms and apparently sing-songy childrens' verses sometimes had some underlying risque themes running through them, but because she was writing during the Victorian era, when one doesn't acknowledge such things, she blanketed those themes in the sweet tales that were published for children. I thought that was hilarious when I started to read them and realize how blatant they really were! You brought back some great memories of that research I did...
ReplyDeleteYour roses are gorgeous, by the way!!
ABWC, hum...I'll have to give those Rossetti poems a closer look. ;) Fascinating.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteCute poem! But mud between my puppies toes, not so cute!
ReplyDeleteMy sisters and I used to make mud holes in the back yard. They were so much fun to play in!
ReplyDeleteReading this makes me wish I had saved my childhood books....
ReplyDeleteHow cute that this cute little poem has stayed with you all these years.
Do show us a bouquet of your yellow roses one of these days...
Thanks.
Funny how squishing mud between our toes was fun as a child but kind of icky now. What happened to our priorities?
ReplyDeleteI love children's books and this one looks like a wonderful collection of poems. I remember making mud pies as a child -- mud was fun!
ReplyDeleteI still like to dig in the soil bare handed when I am planting. Ruins a manicure, but still fun!
Pappy was here.
ReplyDeletePS: Beautiful yellow roses! Yellow roses are for friendship.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of all this mud reminds me of something you and your friends made with mud for a neighbor lady. Me?...too young and innocent...I just remember the story. tee-hee!
ReplyDeleteI loved making mud pies as a kid... this poem brought it all back to me. I wonder if this is why I love mucking around with food?
ReplyDeleteI remember the little pink book from my grandmother's house when I was a kid, and the poem about the mud. How crazy is that? I memorized the thing, just by reading it so many times, but it took a while for my rather literal mind to understand about a rose being able to feel mud between its toes (roots). Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletebeautiful photo of the yellow rose!! and, the poem is cute. i've never read that one.
ReplyDelete