Petunia blossoms: Ballads and poems

I have a grandma that is really old and gray,
But I don’t care, if she looks that way;
She is always glad as glad can be
When we come to see her, Brother Bill and me.
We live away out in the country you know,
When we get to grandma’s, it’s hungry we grow;
In her pantry there is always something good to eat,
An orange, an apple, perhaps a soft piece of meat
To put between bread, it surely tastes fine;
There can be none better than that grandma of mine.

Did you have a grandma that would treat you like this?
Always a great big hug, so glad to see you, and a kiss;
But never on my mouth, for she says roses linger there;
Way up on my forehead, think it’s very near my hair.
Then she sits and holds me, while Bill leans on her knee,
And then I’m just as happy as I possibly can be;
Then she says, “Now say your prayers, and to your grandma show
The lines your ma has taught you, and all the verse you know.”

But somehow, when I said “The Lord my Shepherd is,”
She held me so much closer, cause not one word did I miss;
And Bill, he joined, but often missed a line;
He’s not three years old, yet, but really doing fine.
I’m going to be a big girl, as sure as you’re alive,
When my next birthday comes, then I will be just five,
Then I’m going to wear a long dress and specs, like grandma, too,
And folks will pass and say, Miss Dorothea, how de do.

I’m going to learn to play and sing and be a lady fine,
’Cause I will be real careful and study every line.
And then I’ll be too old for dolls, I’ll put them on a chair,
For we have been such good friends, think I should treat them fair;
I’ll be too big for hair bows—oh, dear, what shall I do;
Well, I’ll go down to grandma’s, and settle it with you.

Good-By, Daddy.

A scene so sad, so very sad, how can I e’er forget,
They seemed to know each other, whom they had not even met;
The friends of these brave soldiers, in sorrow bent and sore,
For fear these sons have parted, and will never see them more.

Just one more kiss for daddy, dear sweetheart, don’t be sad,
When I get to camp, dear, you shall daily hear from dad;
Two lovers stood beside the train, good-bye, a last embrace,
A moment later he was gone; the tears streamed down her face.

And many hearts were aching, and many eyes were dim,
And many prayers were offered; Oh, God, take care of him,
And bring him back in safety, when this great war is o’er,
Then we will be so happy; we will ask for nothing more.

July 18, 1918—On this day 556 men left Kansas City for various
camps, at the Union Station, Kansas City, Mo.

The Bird of Paradise.

The most beautiful birds live where the climate is warm,
Where breezes blow that can do them no harm;
The bird of paradise, most beautiful of all,
In the month of May entertains with a ball,
To show off their plumage, they dance high up in the trees.
Early in the mornings, when all is at peace.

It’s the male bird that’s bedecked with plumage fine,
How they love to display and sit in the sunshine;
They are the size of a hawk, with head and neck
Like golden velvet all bedecked;
And the sprays of orange colored feathers long
Sometimes two feet, but not very strong;
On each side of the body, under their wings,
These masses of golden plumage springs.

The female is not as fortunate as he,
A throat of green and wings of brown has she,
So glossy and soft, full of pride and dignity,
How gracefully they dance, it’s wonderful to see;
And never suspect that the enemy might be near,
To rob them of life—which they, too, hold dear.

Now would you have naughty hunters to kill
These beautiful birds, your vanity to fill,
To wear on your hat, or to wear in your hair;
Would you be guilty of these happy lives to dispair?
I’m sure you would not, if you really knew,
Yet this little story, believe me, is true.

My Faithful Shoes.

My good old shoes, it’s time that we part,
Although it will nigh break my heart;
You have offended me so, just the other day,
A new home you must find—shall I throw you away?

’Twas a short time ago, a friend came to call,
I was out on the lawn, with the children playing ball;
I begged her excuse me, just one little minute,
She said, please don’t dress, fifteen minutes is my limit.

I was so humiliated, how much I cannot say,
For I had decided this should be your last day;
With a knife I had split you on either side,
When I went to the door, my feet I would hide.

True, you are full of comfort, we’ve been such good friends,
Even if the heels are down at both ends;
She stayed and she stayed, I didn’t know quite what she said;
For you, old shoes, kept running around in my head.

Finally she bade me adieu; I went to the back door,
I flung you away, I don’t want you more;
How untidy I looked; I was ready to drop;
I’ll put on the new ones, I bought in the shop.

And sat down to rest and read a new book,
Oh, how they did hurt, and how cross I did look;
When my husband came home, I was all in tears—
What’s the matter, you’re older at least, by ten years.

I had to explain the cause, for nerve I had none,
I believe my heart stood still, I saw only one;
The new ones did not prove good friends, I declare,
After a few hours I looked for you there.

Down in the garden, did anyone see
Me pick up my shoe, under the old apple tree?
I wiped you off tenderly and put you on;
Oh, where is the other, I fear it is gone.

To our Collie dog, Bruno, I said, can you tell
Me where my shoe is?—and waited a spell,
Then back he came prancing, in his mouth was my shoe,
I was so glad to see you—none but myself knew.

I must say to you dears, how I wore you with pride,
The day that we called on the beautiful bride;
And down the aisle, in the church, when the bells rang,
And the choir their heavenly hallelujahs sang.

When we crossed the Atlantic, Europe to see
The wonders, then truly you were good to me;
For we walked in the mornings, late into the nights,
You gave me much pleasure in seeing the sights.

But somehow or other, since that terrible day,
That such mortals like me should be made of mere clay;
It near breaks my heart in sorrow to lay,
You away in a corner, a short time to stay.

There’s nothing like ease, away with your style;
I prefer to laugh, to sing, and to smile;
Old shoes, you’re my friends, you’ve been tried, you are true,
And I hope, for a while, to still stand by you.

Not Big Like Me.

There’s a baby that’s come to our house today,
And I understand he came here to stay;
I’ve prayed for a sister ever so long,
But it’s a brother, with lungs lusty and strong.

I can’t say that I’m pleased with his pink and red looks,
Although I wanted to show him my books,
He wouldn’t look my way, how hard I would try;
He’d pucker his face up and cry and cry.

But mammy says he’ll be as big as me
Some day, but somehow I cannot see;
I’m almost a man now, I’m nearly three
On my next birthday in January.

I thought when I prayed for a sister that I
Would have a playmate, not one that would cry;
And one who’d be out in the garden to play
With me, the whole of the livelong day.

I guess I must wait till he really grows,
And gets big like me—heaven only knows,
I’ll just call up central, and tell her that we
Have a boy at our house—not big like me.

And I know she’ll be glad, for I called her up
Sometime ago—I said, please don’t stop,
But telephone to heaven, my number fifty-seven,
To send me a sister to earth from heaven.

But I can’t understand that I ever was small
Like this little fellow, with cap, gown and all;
I’ll show him my marbles, my hoop and my sled,
And I’ll call him Albert, while you call him Fred.

A Fair Young Bride.

There’s none more beautiful or fair
Than this pure maiden standing there,
In her bridal robes, as light as air,
With orange blossoms in her hair.

How rich the scarlet of her lips,
Like the glory that the angel sips;
The contour of her lovely face,
Within the folds of priceless lace.

How glossy the masses of golden hair,
Divinely beautiful at the altar there;
And her wondrous deep brown eyes—
Surely she hails from Paradise.

May never heartaches never pain,
Within your home a queen to reign,
With noble thoughts on your brow so fair,
We ask God’s blessings on this pair.

Two Little Red Birds.

There’s a birdie at our window,
Tapping just as if he knew
There were happy little children
Where the wind was blowing through;
And they tapped and kept on tapping.
Did they want to come inside?
Their little wings were flapping,
Open up your window wide.

And the children were so happy,
Just to see the birds fly in
Under shelter, under safety,
In the snow storm they had been;
And we fed these little birdies
With soft crumbs of whitest bread;
And they ate, these little sturdies,
Tempted them to go to bed.

In the morning, bright and early,
They were up before daylight;
And they said, peek-peek, to thank us
For the shelter of the night;
Then we tho’t how birds must suffer
In their nest of softest down;
And we looked in a small corner
Laid a little foot so brown.

And no wonder they were tapping
Tapping at our window pane;
For the cruel wind had frozen
Off its little foot—such pain.
Then we thought how birds must suffer
From the cold and from the snow;
And we built a little bird house
That would keep them warm, we know.

Coming Home.

George is coming home, this letter tells me so,
From the camp so far away—how glad and cold I grow.
I have sat at even’, when the sun was bending o’er
The west; I can see him, still, go through the open door.

With tears in his eyes, a brave smile upon his face,
I’ll be back to you shortly, by His will and His grace;
And today I’ll begin to look and to hear
If his wandering feet are coming near.

My heart beats fast, for I hear a sound,
The walk is like his, over the old ground,
And a sound like one whistling—Oh, is it he?
I falter; no, no; it cannot be.

The days glided by slowly, one by one,
At last she hastens—dear son, my son!
The chair that was vacant, again is filled,
And the heart throbs again are stilled, are stilled.

Colorado.

Great and mighty mountains high,
Piercing boldly through the sky;
With snow patched ridges here and there,
Solemn magnificance everywhere.

How majestic there you stand,
Your scenery so bold and grand,
Rivulets foaming, through deep ravines,
Throwing out green and silvery sheens.

Higher and higher up you go,
Where vegetation can never grow;
The snow lies sleeping the year around,
And deep glaciers on its bosom abound.

Great and mighty mountains high,
Piercing through the deep blue sky;
For palette or brush what need have we;
Look out of your window, a picture you’ll see.

Mrs. O’Day.

Miss Sigrid Hiland went out one day,
And decided to change her name to Mrs. O’Day;
Mr. Minister tied the knot firmly and strong,
For together they must live—we hope very long.

To housekeeping she set her heart with a vim,
Not to please herself; oh, no, but to please him;
And she is so sweet for this good man to possess,
She is winsome and brave, and will a home bless.

We wish you all joy that this world can give,
And for many years together, happy will live;
Let His way be your way, don’t vary a bit,
Then your hearts forever will be by holiness lit.

To My Beloved Parents.
In Memoriam.

On your resting place I spread today
Sweet blossoms on your bed of clay;
Alas, what more here can I do
But pray, dear ones, for both of you.

The sun is setting in the west,
With glowing colors you are blest;
Thus here I stand, the declining day,
With birds about you still at play.

At night the stars shine over your bed,
And silvery moonbeams over head,
To guide your souls to heaven above,
Where all is peace, eternal love.

The meek, weeping willow sings the requiem
To the birds that it shelters at night in their dream,
And the wind wails softly over head,
Sobbing and sighing—they are dead.

Divorced.

My divorce has been granted this very day,
With no one to scold, I can do what I may;
My heart seems to flutter, how happy I feel,
It will take some time this great wound to heal.

My dear Mrs. Smith, good morning to you,
I have heard about a divorce, is it really true?
Well, I’m awfully sorry, now what can I do
To lessen your burden, for your children and you.

He seemed so proud of you, when you would go out
In the warm summer evenings, to ride about;
Such love looks he’d give you; now how can this be
To break up a home, I pray you, tell me.

It was this way, when I married him I didn’t know
How to cook or keep house, not even to sew;
My parents were old—so it fell to me
To help support them—now, do you see?

I toiled and worked early and late,
And nearly deplored my unfortunate fate.
When I laid them away, I was left alone,
Friends I had few—oh, how I did mourn.

Then after a year he came into my life,
All was peace and harmony, no thought of strife;
And blessings were added when our children came;
The harder he worked, so anxious for fame.

Then, after a time, he was so hard to please;
In his presence I scarcely could feel at ease,
For I didn’t do one little thing for him right,
Until I wished he was far out of sight.

And this thing kept on, it near drove me wild;
I felt so small—just like a wee child;
I resented his words and told him that I
Would not live with him longer—and sooner would die.

He sneered and he laughed; yes, work for pay
From early till late, the whole blessed day;
I gave you this home, what more can I do;
I have worked and worked for my children and you.

When I would mention a trip in the summer to go
Just anywhere, I’d say—you need it, you know,
What nonsense he’d say; I’m well as can be;
A vacation for me? Well, that I can’t see.

Well, that is the way we wrangled, till I
Was so unhappy I wanted to fly;
Perhaps this sounds trivial to you, but to me
It seems as big as the great open sea.

But I understand, my dear little friend,
That he’s been to call, and some gifts did send;
And the great loads of coal he sent you last week,
Surely you thanked him—some kind word did speak?

Yes, and he gave me this home; he provided well
For his little family—I can safely tell
We never suffered for a want or a care
When the time came around, it was always there.

Before I go, do call the children in,
It’s so long since I’ve seen them. Why, Minnie, how thin
You have grown; why, Charlie, how small
And pale you are; do have your doctor call.

The boy’s fever was high—he calls in his pain,
Oh, papa, dear, papa, come kiss me again.
The door softly opens, a lov’d voice in the hall,
In his arms he clasps her, his best friend, his all.

Years have passed; yes, truly, they are happy now;
The glad days of youth are gone, somehow,
But on her face a sweet smile is lingering there,
And sweet contentment is found everywhere.

And Charlie has grown to be straight and tall;
And Min’s little one, the youngest of all,
Lies in his crib, such a sweet little lad
That is watched over happily by grandma and grand-dad.

Mother.

Mother, you nursed me at your breast,
And gave of yourself, your very best;
Your anxiety, care and watchful nights,
When all was still you would turn on the lights
To see I was snugly covered in bed
Long after my little prayers were said.

When I went to school you would help me so much,
When my lessons were hard—but your soft touch
Would ease it all, for I leaned on your word,
It was always the dearest I ever have heard;
My heart beats fast, when I think how dear
You always were to your children here.

Truth and obedience was always your aim,
Mother, mother, how fair is your name;
How grateful I am I can scarcely say,
Though you are gone away, far away,
Singing the Miserere, I still see you there,
Rocking your child with tenderest care.

Mother love is strong, many a sorrow, many a tear;
When all else fails, her love is still there;
And she’ll go to the end of the earth for you.
So noble, so gentle—none kinder and true;
Yes, you were my first friend—why should I not love
To pray for your soul that is called above.

Ascension Day.

We sailed away one fair March day,
From Norway’s shore so far away
To a new land; our hopes were high;
Oh, what have we done; oh, my; oh, my;
Left father and mother and dear friends on shore,
Perhaps never to see them more.
We sailed and sailed many miles over the sea,
And prayed God to protect my children and me.

The icebergs surrounded our ship one night;
The captain shouted no water in sight,
Like mountains around us, we are here to stay;
It may be a week, it may be a day.
We looked at each other in mute horror and dread,
Should the days go by, who would give us bread?
Nearly three weeks went by, no help in sight,
Each man was willing to do his mite.

At sunrise the captain called with a shout,
Out of these icebergs, we must get out;
I was up on the mast, I see water ahead;
The sun is high and looks quite red;
Today is Ascension Day, all come, kneel and pray
That we will be out of here before close of day.
Weeping and sobbing they knelt on the floor,
And prayed as they never had prayed before.

Now, my men, get an ax or a saw, cut the ice;
Make a path for our ship. To work, time flies;
They labored untiringly for hours; ’twas hard work,
It meant much suffering if this work they should shirk,
Then when they were through, all panting and cold;
They were drawn up by ropes into the ship’s hold.

Now, my men, be steady; shove with all your might;
For, if it’s God’s will, we will be in the light.
The ship moves; what’s creaking; oh, what a roar;
Today it’s life or death; what can be done more;
Mothers clung to their children and clasped them real fast,
For this is a day of days, it may be the last.
The foghorn blows; I trembled with fear
For my little ones and my husband, so dear.

I hugged them closely to my heart,
We are saved, we are saved, I heard with a start;
Do my ears hear aright; I laugh and I cry,
For I was ready this day to die.
God heard our prayers; ah! can it be
That we are again sailing out on this wide sea?
Such laughing, such shouting, no time to weep;
Only to dance and sing; no time for sleep.

The dignified and glad captain took a hand in the game,
From hearty congratulations his right arm was lame;
But three hundred souls, with God’s help, he had saved
From the towering bergs and a briny grave.

This really happened in April, 1865, in the northern part of the Atlantic ocean. The ship was an old fashioned sailing vessel and under ordinary circumstances would have required three to four weeks time from Bergen, Norway, to Montreal, Canada.

Passengers were compelled to carry enough bread for their entire families, to last for the whole trip, which of course, would become hard and dry. Many icebergs have nearly vertical walls, often more than one hundred feet. These floating mountains of ice sometimes have very fantastic shapes. It is not safe for a ship to come near one, and it is no uncommon thing for an iceberg to suddenly turn upside down. How things have changed since then! One can go the same distance in about twelve days. We were seven weeks crossing at that time on account of the anxious and terrible stay in the icebergs.

I’m glad to be here in this great land and to tell you this story of my youth.

Your Star.

How deep and wide the ocean;
No eye its depths hath seen
What secrets there are hidden,
Below the briny green.

There are numberless living creeping things,
Both great and small,
And mermaids, too, that sweetly sing;
It’s Him that made them all.

Should you up in the heavens gaze,
Their duplicates you’ll find;
The world is still a closed book,
Each living thing of every kind.

Yet do we ever think how weak,
How helpless, how small we are;
And as I sit and ponder,
Are we likened to a star?

A Moth.

A moth flew into my room last night,
Where the flame turned all into gorgeous light;
It flew ’round about till it finally came
Too near; for it was a cruel flame
And never stopped till it fell to the floor,
Air seared and misshapen; it hopped to the door
There it lay, breathing its last,
For love of a flame its life was past.

Lonely.

One day Nicodemus lay down and died,
And his good little wifey cried and cried.
A few days after he was laid away
Under the sod—deep down in the clay.

The days were so long, how lonely was she,
For he died in the autumn; not a green tree;
She took out his clothes and brushed them so neat,
And patched his pants right over the seat.

Then she called in a neighbor, and opened the door,
And showed her the clothes Nicodemus “had wore;
And his poor old socks she broidered in brown;”
Such a good man was he—they weeping sat down.

When he was alive, I had so much to do,
The days were so short I never got through;
And when I get lonely, perhaps I have missed
To put on a button or a patch I have kissed.

Playtime.

Old age is the time to watch and pray,
And to prepare for the coming day.

Your workday is over—rest and be glad,
This is your playtime—do not be sad.

Your hair is turned from brown to gray,
And the little ringlets softly play.

And hold a wee dear one close to your heart,
Singing a lullaby—this is your part.

And see the blue smoke curl over your head
From your golden meerschaum; gladness doth shed.

And the song of the birds, again spring is here,
Bringing to all the time we hold dear.

And old recollections your memory doth fill,
Of youth, full of fire—you remember still.

And the dear ones around you, full of love,
Are preparing the way to Heaven above.

My Lillian.

My lovely, sweet Lillian, with eyes so brown,
And hair like the softest of thistledown;
I clasp you, my darling, close to my heart,
And pray that heaven will never us part.

My joy you are, truly, I love you so much,
And hope no rude winds will ever you touch;
My child, may God bless you, His tenderest care,
To watch over you gently, my dear one so fair.

Swope Park.

Mother, dear, do let us go
Out to Swope Park; now don’t say no;
We love the green, the flowers, the trees,
The humming birds, the bumble bees.

The silvery lake, the running stream,
Last night I saw it in my dream;
The sky is bluer, the keen air
Is more invigorating there.

Oh mother, dear, it is such fun
Out on the grassy slopes to run
The birds sing sweetly in the trees,
And listen to the whispering breeze.

The frisky rabbits run around
For bits of food that’s to be found
Over land and meadow free
Where sweet blossoms and the bee

Boldly sucks the honey out,
From flower to flower they fly about.
And the Sun in golden streams
Over more than twelve hundred acres beams.

And the Zoo, mother, it’s free,
And intended for such as you and me.
At last a basket is filled with a lunch,
Under the waving trees to munch.
So happy, out in God’s pure air,
Is sweet, sweet joy for this dear pair.