The Sceptics
It was the little leaves beside the road.
Said Grass: “What is that sound
So dismally profound,
That detonates and desolates the air?”
“That is St. Peter’s bell,”
Said rain-wise Pimpernel;
“He is music to the godly,
Though to us he sounds so oddly,
And he terrifies the faithful unto prayer.”
Then something very like a groan
Escaped the naughty little leaves.
Said Grass: “And whither track
These creatures all in black,
So woebegone and penitent and meek?”
“They’re mortals bound for church,”
Said the little Silver Birch;
“They hope to get to heaven,
And have their sins forgiven,
If they talk to God about it once a week.”
And something very like a smile
Ran through the naughty little leaves.
Said Grass: “What is that noise
That startles and destroys
Our blessed summer brooding when we’re tired?”
“That’s folk a-praising God,”
Said the tough old cynic Clod;
“They do it every Sunday,
They’ll be all right on Monday;
It’s just a little habit they’ve acquired.”
And laughter spread among the little leaves.
Bliss Carman.