The Mind
The Awakening
From Fifty Years & Other Poems (1917)
I dreamed that I was a rose
That grew beside a lonely way,
Close by a path none ever chose,
And there I lingered day by day.
Beneath the sunshine and the show'r
I grew and waited there apart,
Gathering perfume hour by hour,
And storing it within my heart,
Yet, never knew,
Just why I waited there and grew.
I dreamed that you were a bee
That one day gaily flew along,
You came across the hedge to me,
And sang a soft, love-burdened song.
You brushed my petals with a kiss,
I woke to gladness with a start,
And yielded up to you in bliss
The treasured fragrance of my heart;
And then I knew
That I had waited there for you.
Cite this poem
MLA
Johnson, James Weldon. “The Awakening.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/johnson_jw/40/.
Chicago
Johnson, James Weldon. “The Awakening.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/johnson_jw/40/.
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