Carl Sandburg Poems

A lone gray bird,
Dim-dipping, far-flying,
Alone in the shadows and grandeurs and tumults
Of night and the sea
...

I asked the professors who teach the meaning of life to tell
me what is happiness.
And I went to famous executives who boss the work of
thousands of men.
...

You will come one day in a waver of love,
Tender as dew, impetuous as rain,
The tan of the sun will be on your skin,
The purr of the breeze in your murmuring speech,
...

Between two hills
The old town stands.
The houses loom
And the roofs and trees
...

Bend low again, night of summer stars.
So near you are, sky of summer stars,
So near, a long-arm man can pick off stars,
Pick off what he wants in the sky bowl,
...

Smash down the cities.
Knock the walls to pieces.
Break the factories and cathedrals, warehouses
and homes
...

It's a jazz affair, drum crashes and coronet razzes.
The trombone pony neighs and the tuba jackass snorts.
The banjo tickles and titters too awful.
The chippies talk about the funnies in the papers.
...

Many things I might have said today.
And I kept my mouth shut.
So many times I was asked
To come and say the same things
...

Now the stone house on the lake front is finished and the
workmen are beginning the fence.
The palings are made of iron bars with steel points that
can stab the life out of any man who falls on them.
...

Sobs En Route to a Penitentiary


Good-by now to the streets and the clash of wheels and
...