Classic Poem

Safe in the earth they lie, serenely waiting;
They never speak to north winds or the snow,
Perfume and color in the dark creating,
Fit for the sunlit world that they will know.

I held them in my hand, small balls of wonder,
Purple and ivory and brown.
I broke the soft, dark earth to fold them under,
And pressed the yielding soil to hold them down.

I know that in their hearts the rainbow lingers
Waiting until it hears a song it knows,
O strange, to hold a rainbow in my fingers!
It lies there waiting for the melting snows.

And long before I hear the bluebird singing
Truth will be stirring in my garden beds,
And O, it will be early that I'll find their
Small, green hooded heads!

The little brown song sparrow that comes daring
To pour his heart out on an empty bough,
Will linger in my garden to be sharing
Seven colors that are sleeping now.