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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


A PRAYER by EDWIN MARKHAM

Poet Analysis

First Line: TEACH ME, FATHER, HOW TO GO
Last Line: ON THE WAY AND BE THEIR BEST.
Subject(s): PRAYER; RELIGION; THEOLOGY;

Teach me, Father, how to go
Softly as the grasses grow;
Hush my soul to meet the shock
Of the wild world as a rock;
But my spirit, propt with power,
Make as simple as a flower.
Let the dry heart fill its cup,
Like a poppy looking up;
Let life lightly wear her crown,
Like a poppy looking down,
When its heart is filled with dew,
And its life begins anew.
Teach me, Father, how to be
Kind and patient as a tree.
Joyfully the crickets croon
Under shady oak at noon;
Beetle, on his mission bent,
Tarries in that cooling tent.
Let me, also, cheer a spot,
Hidden field or garden grot--
Place where passing souls can rest
On the way and be their best.



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