Death & Dying

Curls

by Josephine Preston Peabody 1874–1922

From The Book of the Little Past (1910)

Death & Dying

It happens that way in the world
With everything you see.
Some people have their hair all curl'd,
Some straight as straight can be.
It is a Mystery.

Yes, some have hair that waves and clings,
And does all kinds of curly things;--
And some not ever, till they Die.
And nobody knows Why....
And some,--already born with Curls,
Some of them are not even Girls!

I always think,--of Curly Hair,
It looks as if the Curls came there
The way I hum around a song
More things than really do belong.
The happier I feel, the more
I sing, I never heard before!
I curl more music round the Air,
The way it looks with Curly Hair.

[Envoi]

But you may sing all day, you know;
You cannot really make it grow.
And you may know it is Not Fair;
But that won't give you Curly Hair.

MLA

Peabody, Josephine Preston. “Curls.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/peabody/90/.

Chicago

Peabody, Josephine Preston. “Curls.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/peabody/90/.

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