Classic Poem

Restless and strange, the birds now dream of flight
To far savannas, as the partridge whirs
From briery uplands near. With chestnut burrs
The squirrels are busy, leaping in delight
From limb to limb, where jays at dizzy height,
Shrill their harsh challenge, while the zenith blurs
The swift-winged geese,—aerial voyagers,—
Arrowing aloft to lose themselves in light.
In Indian-file the turkey leads her brood,
Eying the hawk above. From hollow boughs
The tapping flicker darts on golden wings;
The red-bird long has sought the deeper wood,
While from the elm, anear the olden house,
The oriole's woven cradle empty swings.