Social Commentaries

An Augury

by Ambrose Bierce 1842–c. 1914

From Shapes of Clay (1903)

Social Commentaries

Upon my desk a single spray,
With starry blossoms fraught.
I write in many an idle way,
Thinking one serious thought.

"O flowers, a fine Greek name ye bear,
And with a fine Greek grace."
Be still, O heart, that turns to share
The sunshine of a face.

"Have ye no messages--no brief,
Still sign: 'Despair', or 'Hope'?"
A sudden stir of stem and leaf--
A breath of heliotrope!

MLA

Bierce, Ambrose. “An Augury.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/bierce/363/.

Chicago

Bierce, Ambrose. “An Augury.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/bierce/363/.

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