Little Girl

She’s fishing in a rock pool
just abandoned by the sea
She’s too engrossed within her world
to notice you and me.

She sprawls to draw a picture
open book upon the sand
Great masters never wielded
so delicate a hand.

Her rainbow spreads across the page
to seek a pot of gold
Our little girl within her world
thinks never to grow old.

 

Yours

Thinking bye and bye, my dear
Of youths fresh beauty flawed,
And glories of past form, I fear
Times distance has ignored.

Then thinking bye and bye, my love
Life’s work and toil and chores,
Remind me how, as wings to dove
I’m yours, and yours, and yours.

 

Martin John King is a retiree living in Somerset, England.

NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets.

The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.


Trending now:

15 Responses

  1. Bruce Wren

    Quite charming, both! A touch of Dickinson and Rossetti. Have you a collection?

    Reply
    • Martin King

      Thank you Bruce. As a beginner (age 73) I had to look up the 2 poets you mention, high praise indeed.
      I do have a very small collection of work which will depend on Evan deeming them to be of merit to appear here.

      Reply
  3. David Watt

    Martin, I really enjoyed your charming poems!

    My only suggestion would be a slight revision as shown below:

    Yours

    Thinking bye and bye, my dear
    Of Youth’s fresh beauty flawed,
    And glories of past form, I fear
    Time’s distance has ignored.

    Then thinking bye and bye, my love
    Life’s work and toil and chores,
    Remind me how, as wings to dove
    I’m yours, and yours, and yours.

    This would serve to make the plural possessives consistent.

    Reply
    • Martin King

      Thank you David for your helpful comments. I did not think “youth’s” needed a capital, as I had in mind that period of physical appearance which sadly is too often only a memory in maturity.

      If I am wrong, I stand corrected and thank you again for your help.

      Reply
      • David Watt

        Hello Martin, I was thinking of Youth’s as qualifying for a capital due to personification. I can see your point, given the context, that lower case is correct. I look forward to seeing more of your work.

  4. Father Richard Libby

    These poems are beautifully simple and simply beautiful!

    Reply
  5. Amy Foreman

    A beginner, just now, at age 73:
    What a fine time to write for the great SCP!

    Welcome, Mr. King!

    Is it “bye and bye” or “by and by?” Dickens may have occasionally said, “by and bye,” so perhaps either is correct. But I think I’ve usually seen it as “by and by,” as in the hymn, “In the Sweet By and By.”

    Reply
    • Martin King

      Hello Amy,
      I think that you are correct with “by” in a modern sense, although “bye” seemed to please my old fashioned brain at the time of writing.
      It is dedicated to my wonderful wife Margaret.
      Thank you for your help.

      Reply
  6. Dave Whippman

    “Little Girl” skilfully evokes the intensity of childhood. It’s a pleasure to praise a piece by a fellow West Countryman!

    Reply
  7. C.B. Anderson

    Very appealing lyrics, indeed, these two. You might have set the record for the age at which a poet started writing poems. I started at age 54, and I thought that was something.

    Reply
    • Martin King

      Thank you very much C.B. I must confess that most were written 10 years ago and then I had Aortic valve replacement and after the op. my brain did not seem inspired to write more.
      However after finding SCPoets I have polished the old ones and am trying to think of new themes.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.