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Jewett's Poems
IN A HURRY.
Sarah Jewett.
O. silly little Calla!** why,
You had enough to do;
Who ever thought of blossoms yet
From such a child as you?
Grow tall and strong all winter long --
That's what you should have done;
How came you to forget your leaves,
Besides that little one?I think so small a bud as hers
Never before was seen;
I thought it was her second leaf,
That little twist of green.
And yesterday I moved her out,
To give her sun and room,
And found she'd made the best of things,
And really meant to bloom.The busy thing! The leaf she has
Can hardly stand alone;
But I suppose she could not rest
Until her best was shown.
I wonder if some other plants
Will tell their secrets too, --
Your grown up sister 's so discreet,
And not at all like you.The cross old cactus gorgeous is, --
That cloud is silver lined. --
And over all his thorny stalks
The smilax** threads have twined.
The slender tall abutilon**
Is gay with golden bells;
The perfume from the violets
Of hidden blooming tells;Geraniums, the friends of years,
Good-tempered, green old pair;
The lemon and the orange-tree
Have long been standing there.
Among the leaves of salvia
The blossoms flame and fall;
But little Lily is the dear
And darling of them all.
Notes"In a Hurry" was published in Riverside Magazine (4:251) in June 1870. This text is available courtesy of the Newberry Library.
Calla: a variety of lily.
smilax: probably in this case a soft bright green twining plant, but the name usually applies to green briers.
abutilon: plants that are members of the mallow family, usually with lobed leaves and showy, bell-shaped flowers.
salvia: a flowering shrub of the mint family.
Edited and annotated by Terry Heller, Coe College.