The following poem is dedicated to Jenni at Prairie Air, Barb and oh what the heck even Maya Angelou;
I've been off on a journey; I jes' got home today;
I traveled east, an' north, an' south and every other way;
I seen a heap of country, an' cities on the boom,
but I want to be in Kansas when
the
Sun
Flowers
Bloom
You may ask about your lilies, yer vi'lets and yer roses
Yer asters, an' yer jassmims, and all the other posies;
I'll allow they all air beauties and full 'er sweet perfume,
but there's none of them a patchin' to
the
Sun
Flowers
Bloom
Oh its nice among the mountians, but I sorter felt shet in;
T'ud be nice upon the seashore ef it wasn't for the din;
While the prairies air so quiet, an' there's allers lots or room
Oh nicer still in Kansas when
the
Sun
Flowers
Bloom
When all the sky above is jest ez blue as blue kin be,
An' the prairies a wavin' like a yaller driftin' sea,
Oh, its there my soul goes sailin' and my heart is on the bloom
In the golden fields of Kansas when
the
Sun
Flowers
Bloom
by Albert Bigelow Paine
from the book Sunflowers a Book of Kansas Poems
selected by Willard Wattles
Published by AG McClurg & Co, 1916
Oh I like that poem. I like it a lot. When do the sunflowers bloom? Are they everywhere? We'll have to take a trip to Kansas when they do to see it. We get the tiny wild sunflowers here in Tulsa and I love them!
ReplyDeleteHave you seen this guy? He's pretty funny.
http://www.willitblend.com/videos.aspx?type=unsafe&video=mancave
For those of you from states other than KS ....... may I suggest you wait UNTIL spring. Right now you would probably freeze your bippy off!!!! (whatever a "bippy" is)
ReplyDeleteBut other than that ........ KS is a great place to call HOME!
What a beautiful poem! This is exactly why I come home when the sunflowers bloom!
ReplyDeleteMaya would be proud!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I'm worthy to be mentioned in the same sentence as those other two, but thank you anyway:o) This is actually the poem I was looking for on a Kansas poetry site when I found the one by William Allen White. I shared this poem when I was teaching a homeschool co-op poetry class. I dedicated a whole class period to poems about Kansas for Kansas Day. This was one of my favorites. I just love the rhythm of it and the way it gets louder and the cadence slows (at least as I hear it in my head) for that "when the sunflowers boom" part at the end of each stanza.
ReplyDeleteThe Fall in Kansas is generally the time of year to see our fields, ditches and gardens filled with sunflowers. I think the smal wild sunflowers are the best. It is kind of neat to see a large field of commercial sunflowers follow the sun and then bow their heads when they are ready to be harvested. Then I love to watch the birds peck the seds out. MUD
ReplyDelete