WE just shake hands at meeting With many that come nigh, We nod the head in greeting To many that go by. But we welcome through the gateway Our few old friends and true; Then hearts leap up and straightway There's open house for you, Old friends, Wide-open house for you. The surface will be sparkling, Let but a sunbeam shine, But in the deep lies darkling The true life of the wine. The froth is for the many, The wine is for the few; Unseen, untouched of any, We keep the best for you, Old friends, The very best for you. "The many" cannot know us, They only pace the strand Where at our worst we show us, The waters thick with sand; But out beyond the leaping Dim surge "'t is clear and blue," And there, old friends, we're keeping A waiting calm for you, Old friends, A sacred calm for you. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...POOR DEVIL! by STEPHEN VINCENT BENET LOCKED OUT; AS TOLD TO A CHILD by ROBERT FROST THE ORANGE PICKER by DAVID IGNATOW GOAL by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON MAGDALEN by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON DOWN BY THE CARIB SEA: 1. SUNRISE IN THE TROPICS by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON |