Poems (Curwen)/Polly and I

by Annie Isabel Curwen

Polly and I.

Polly and I are the best of friends,
 I love her and she loves me;
Polly and I are everywhere,
 Everywhere where the other may be.

I am but little, Polly is tall;
 Dark is she, and fair am I;
I was nineteen in October last,
 And Polly was nineteen in July.

Polly was dreaming of me one night;
 She thought we both were out at sea,
And each was in a little boat,
 But it was so dark she could not see.

And then, somehow, we drifted apart,
 And Polly she called but none replied,
So silent and sad she drifted alone
 In the darkness along with the tide;

But, after a time, she heard a sound,
 And saw another boat close by,
And when she asked who the occupant was,
 She found to her joy it was really I.

Then I got in her boat for a little while,
 And together we floated over the sea;
Then Polly said I left her and went
 Into the boat that belonged to me;

And soon I was lost in the darkness of night,
 And Polly called, "Annie," but all in vain;
No voice replied to her frequent cry,
 I never answered her again.

But when she reached a shining shore,
 She found me waiting for her there;
My voyage was the soonest o'er,
 And I stood ready to welcome her.

And many others whom Polly loves too,
 But whom she'll see on earth no more,
Were stood with me on the shining strand,
 All safe upon the heavenly shore.

I was so glad when she told me this,
 For it seemed to me a dream from heaven
Sent to Polly; but unto me
 Power to interpret it was given:

The sea was our life, and for a time,
 As we are now, we shall keep together;
In the morning of life, while all is calm,
 We shall sail side by side in sunny weather;

But times may change, separation come,
 The course of our lives contrary flow;
Polly or I may change our home,
 And not of each other's whereabouts know;

But a day will come when we'll meet again,
 And talk about the happy past,
Then we shall each resume our way,
 Drifting apart from each other at last;

And I shall be first to reach the shore
 Of that land where sorrow and sighing cease,
Where the roar of tempest is heard no more,
 And the weary heart finds rest and peace;

Then, in a little while, Polly comes too,
 Reaches safely the peaceful shore,
And I welcome her, and both rejoice
 That the end is come—the voyage o'er.

Heaven is the shore where we hope to land
 When our earthly course at length is run;
And Polly's dream so plainly shows
 That we braved the tide and won.

And oft in the day it comforts me
 To think of this dream and its meaning plain,
For I feel that we both shall reach the goal,
 That our efforts to do so will not be vain.

Polly and I are young, but we
 May be early called to our Father's home;
I shall go first, but it will not be long
 After I go that Polly will come.

Polly is such a faithful friend,
 Many a proof of love she has given;
Polly will love me while life doth last,
 And I know she will love me in heaven.