A little while spring will claim its own,
In all the land around for mile on mile
Tender grass will hide the rugged stone.
My still heart will sing a little while.
And men will never think this wilderness
Was barren once when grass is over all,
Hearing laughter they may never guess
My heart has known its winter and carried gall.
This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day on January 18, 2025, by the Academy of American Poets.