Shut from the clamor of the street <br />By an old wall with lichen grown, <br />It holds apart from jar and fret <br />A peace and beauty all its own. <br /> <br />The freshness of the springtime rains <br />And dews of morning linger here; <br />It holds the glow of summer noons <br />And ripest twilights of the year. <br /> <br />Above its bloom the evening stars <br />Look down at closing of the day, <br />And in its sweet and shady walks <br />Winds spent with roaming love to stray, <br /> <br />Upgathering to themselves the breath <br />Of wide-blown roses white and red, <br />The spice of musk and lavender <br />Along its winding alleys shed. <br /> <br />Outside are shadeless, troubled streets <br />And souls that quest for gold and gain, <br />Lips that have long forgot to smile <br />And hearts that burn and ache with pain. <br /> <br />But here is all the sweet of dreams, <br />The grace of prayer, the boon of rest, <br />The spirit of old songs and loves <br />Dwells in this garden blossom-blest. <br /> <br />Here would I linger for a space, <br />And walk herein with memory; <br />The world will pass me as it may <br />And hope will minister to me.<br /><br />Lucy Maud Montgomery<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/in-an-old-town-garden/
