To Fulfill a Dream

We who have heard the singing of the stars,

The symphony from lilting robin-throats,

The laughter of the hills devoid of scars,

Now hear the laugh of avarice that gloats.

The atavistic mirth that chills the soul

From mouths of grasping men with claws uncurled

To still the pulse of love--make earth unwhole,

Drowns out the Master's lyric in the world.

Yet as we listen to the ruthless tongues

We see ethereal candles brightly gleam,

And strive to climb the higher on the rungs

Reaching to Heaven to fulfill a dream.

We toil to heal the gaping greed-made scars--

We who have heard the singing of the stars.

Where Eagles Cry

On the heights we stand at last,
Stand where eagles cry.
To attain the goal we set,
Have we climbed too high?
From the valleys down below
Laughter echoes, ringing.
In this finer air we breathe
We hear angels singing;
Yet we miss the human touch--
Have we climbed and lost too much?

Chromatones
Second MFCP State Contest, Fall 1952