by Maxfield Parrish, 1870 - 1966
A Summer Solstice Long Before Now
It cost you only the expense
of a single puckish summer night
to discover that elves, pixies,
or even old - fashioned angels
can't lead your life for you.
They are too inexperienced.
The most they can do is exclaim
in amazement at your follies,
then gasp in wonder at how
you manage to escape, your life intact.
~~from the Collected Poems
of Ernest Sandeen (1908 - 1997)
Notre Dame Professor and Poet
