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Poems (Procter)/Wishes

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4678629Poems — WishesAdelaide Anne Procter
WISHES,
ALL the fluttering wishesCaged within thy heartBeat their wings against it,Longing to depart,Till they shake their prisonWith their wounded cry;Open wide thy heart to-day,And let the captives fly.
Let them first fly upwardThrough the starry air,Till you almost lose them,For their home is there;Then, with outspread pinions,Circling round and round,Wing their way whereverWant and woe are found.
Where the weary stitcherToils for daily bread;Where the lonely watcherWatches by her dead;Where, with thin, weak fingers,Toiling at the loom,Stand the little children,Blighted ere they bloom;—
Where, by darkness blinded,Groping for the light,With distorted conscience,Men do wrong for right; Where, in the cold shadow,By smooth pleasure thrown,Human hearts by hundredsHarden into stone;—
Where on dusty highways,With faint heart and slowCursing the glad sunlight,Hungry outcasts go;Where all mirth is silenced,And the hearth is chill,For one place is empty,And one voice is still.
Some hearts will be lighterWhile your captives roamFor their tender singing,Then recall them home;When the sunny hoursInto night depart,Softly they will nestleIn a quiet heart.