Melzer, Alma, (fl. 1935-1937) From Sonnets To June

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from "Sonnets To June"

INTRODUCTION
Oh month of beauty and delight,
Let us peep once more into your heart-
And gaze with thrills at each new sight,
Before from you we part;
Though each scene be an old, old tale,
Repeated o'er again-
Tho' every hill and stream and vale,
Is stamped upon the brain-
Still deeper feeling seems to surge
Thru' every relaxed nerve:
As if responding to that inner urge
To give the praise so richly deserved;
Ah what heart could nurse a hate or wrong
When under the spell of June's magic song?

1. THE STARS
An enchanted sky, all studded with stars,
So bright with Uranus, Venus, and Mars,
How easy and simple to look up, and gaze
And lose yourself in that silvery maze-
Seeing strange visions, pictures, and dreams,
Planning long journeys, harboring wild schemes,
Clinging to hopes, discovering new loves,
All this we see in those small orbs above;
Defying the world, I'd like to ascend,
And live 'midst those stars, until life's end:
I'd travel queer trails, meet people unknown,
And be so contented to live all alone;
Oh give me a bed of grass in June,
And cover me with the stars of the Dunes.

2. THE SAND
Caressed by the sun, bathed in the moon,
Kissed by the waves, clothed in June,
At dawn a glorious sight you make-
A band of gold that borders the lake;
At noon as hot as the depths of earth,
And cooling with the twilight's birth,
'Tis then I love to lie and rest,
As the golden sun sinks in the West;
And watch those colors gleam-then fade,
While the sun and sand and lake change shades;
It isn't day, it isn't night-
And everything wears an [strikeout] ethereal light:
And then the night brings forth the moon,
And throws shadowy shrouds o'er the sandy Dunes.

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3. THE WOODS
We can see them from afar, a silhouette against the sky,
And they grow so big and sombre as we draw nigh,
A maze of paths and trails, of street and underbrush,
Rich with the odor of flowers, the notes of the wren and thrush;
I love these woods in winter, in spring they're mighty fine,
In fall they're quite enchanting, but in June-they're divine;
Oh come and wander with me, up the hills and down again,
It's fun in any weather-in snow or sun or rain;
Be careful of the ivy, oh see the glorious phlox,
There's wild roses and lupine, they cover many blocks,
These woods harbor great variety, cactus isn't a rare sight,
But the wild lily-of-the-valley make me thrill with delight:
You may take me to Europe, to China, or Crete,
But let the woods in the Dunes be my last retreat.

4. THE STORM

Silvery clouds turn dark-as if in anger deep,
Moving restlessly across a troubled sky,
The winds arise-and ruthlessly they sweep
The sand across the hills, and toss the lake awry;
Day dons the robes of night-thunder falls upon our ears,
We know the storm has come in earnest now-
A flash of lightning wipes away the tears
From the sullen sky's cloudy blow;
And then a crash-the gale is the king,
As he waves his scepter of wind across the land,
Tearing down trees and homes in a single fling-
Swelling streams, flooding fields with his stormy hand;
Madly he rages, crash on crash-and then recedes away,
June rains take leave-June once more reigns today.

5. THE LAKE
Just stand on the beach and watch that wave
That's heaving to and fro
Rushing forth it bellows and raves,
As if telling some tale of woe;
It hurries just so far-then its power is gone,
And it slowly ebbs away:
Like a little child-admonished for wrong,
That sulkily goes back to play;
Sometimes a few whitecaps are seen,
But in June it's usually bright blue:
Oh lake that plays-and sulks-and broods-
Reveal the fascination of your many moods.