One summer day, along the street, <br />Men pruned the gums <br />To make them neat. <br />The tender branches, white with flowers, <br />Lay in the sun <br />For hours and hours, <br />And every hour they grew more sweet, <br />More honey-like <br />Until the street <br />Smelt like a hive, withouten bees. <br />But still the gardeners <br />Lopped the trees. <br />Then came the children out of school, <br />Noisy and separate <br />As their rule Of being is. The spangled trees <br />Gave them one heart: <br />Such power to please <br />Had all the flowering branches strown <br />Around for them <br />To make their own. <br />Then such a murmuring arose <br />As made the ears <br />Confirm the nose <br />And give the lie to eyes. For hours <br />Child bees hummed <br />In the honey flowers. <br />They gathered sprigs and armfuls. Some <br />Ran with their fragrant <br />Burdens home, <br />And still returned; and after them <br />Would drag great boughs. <br />Some stripped a stem <br />Of rosy flowers and played with these. <br />Never such love <br />Had earthly trees <br />As these young creatures gave. By night, <br />The treasured sprays <br />Of their delight <br />Were garnered every one. The street <br />Looked, as the council liked it, neat.<br /><br />Lesbia Harford<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/pruning-flowering-gums/
