Poem-a-Day - "Home" by Edgar Guest

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Poem-a-Day is reader-supported. Your gift today will help the Academy of American Poets continue to publish the work of 260 poets each year, and share this series with 320,000 readers every day.
September 2, 2023 

Home

Edgar Guest

It takes a heap o’ livin’ in a house t’ make it home,
A heap o’ sun an’ shadder, an’ ye sometimes have t’ roam
Afore ye really ’preciate the things ye lef’ behind,
An’ hunger fer ’em somehow, with ’em allus on yer mind.
It don’t make any differunce how rich ye get t’ be,
How much yer chairs an’ tables cost, how great yer luxury;
It ain’t home t’ ye, though it be the palace of a king,
Until somehow yer soul is sort o’ wrapped round everything.

Home ain’t a place that gold can buy or get up in a minute;
Afore it’s home there’s got t’ be a heap o’ livin’ in it;
Within the walls there’s got t’ be some babies born, and then
Right there ye’ve got t’ bring ‘em up t’ women good, an’ men;
And gradjerly, as time goes on, ye find ye wouldn’t part
With anything they ever used—they’ve grown into yer heart:
The old high chairs, the playthings, too, the little shoes they wore
Ye hoard; an’ if ye could ye’d keep the thumbmarks on the door.

Ye’ve got t’ weep t’ make it home, ye’ve got t’ sit an’ sigh
An’ watch beside a loved one’s bed, an’ know that Death is nigh;
An’ in the stillness o’ the night t’ see Death’s angel come,
An’ close the eyes o’ her that smiled, an’ leave her sweet voice dumb.
Fer these are scenes that grip the heart, an’ when yer tears are dried,
Ye find the home is dearer than it was, an’ sanctified;
An’ tuggin’ at ye always are the pleasant memories
O’ her that was an’ is no more—ye can’t escape from these.

Ye’ve got t’ sing an’ dance fer years, ye’ve got t’ romp an’ play,
An’ learn t’ love the things ye have by usin’ ’em each day;
Even the roses ’round the porch must blossom year by year
Afore they ’come a part o’ ye, suggestin’ someone dear
Who used t’ love ’em long ago, an’ trained ’em jes’ t’ run
The way they do, so’s they would get the early mornin’ sun;
Ye’ve got t’ love each brick an’ stone from cellar up t’ dome:
It takes a heap o’ livin’ in a house t’ make it home.

This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day on September 2, 2023, by the Academy of American Poets.

Subscribe to the Poem-a-Day Podcast 

  

“Home” appears in Edgar Guest’s collection A Heap o’ Livin’ (The Reilly & Lee Company, 1916). In “Speaking in Tongues: Where Pop Meets Modernism,” published in Slate on October 4, 2011, Robert Pinsky writes, “The ‘thumb-marks on the door’ the death’s angel, the roses in the last stanza: these are effective details, even though the opening exposition about ‘yer chairs an’ tables’ may be a bit repetitious and heavy. Guest is more willing to risk tedium than obscurity. In the concluding rhyme, ‘dome’ may be lunged-for, and in language like ‘these are scenes that grip the heart,’ Guest the literary man may be too visible behind his bucolic mask. But ‘Home’ is far from incompetent: the poem is an expert performance, and its onetime popularity is understandable.”

Edgar Guest

Edgar Albert Guest, born on August 20, 1881, in Birmingham, England, but raised in Detroit, was a poet known for his popular verse. The author of more than twenty volumes of poetry, including Just Folks (The Reilly & Lee Company, 1917) and When Day Is Done (The Reilly & Lee Company, 1921), he served as the first poet laureate of Michigan. He died on August 5, 1959.

A Heap o’ Livin’

A Heap o’ Livin’ 
(The Reilly & Lee Company, 1916)
 

“My House, I Say” by Robert Louis Stevenson
read more
“Where They Lived” by Thomas Hardy
read more

Thanks to Eunsong Kim, author of Gospel of Regicide (Noemi Press, 2017), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month’s weekdays. Read or listen to a Q&A about Kim’s curatorial approach and find out more about our guest editors for the year.
“Poem-a-Day is brilliant because it makes space in the everyday racket for something as meaningful as a poem.” —Tracy K. Smith

If this series is meaningful to you, join the community of Poem-a-Day supporters by making a gift today. Now serving more than 320,000 daily subscribers, this publication is only possible thanks to the contributions of readers like you.
 
Copyright © 2023 The Academy of American Poets, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.



Our mailing address is:
The Academy of American Poets
75 Maiden Lane
STE #901
New York, NY 10038

Add us to your address book


View this email in your browser

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from all Academy messages.

For any other questions, please visit the Poem-a-Day FAQ page.

Older messages

"Places" by Willyce Kim

Friday, September 1, 2023

I dreamed you. / I waited 45 years for you Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day September 1, 2023 Places Willyce Kim I dreamed you. I waited 45 years for you to find me. I have nothing to give

"frigates that take us lands away" by M. NourbeSe Philip

Thursday, August 31, 2023

the small begin of i / in to look Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day August 31, 2023 frigates that take us lands away M. NourbeSe Philip After Emily Dickinson's “There is no Frigate like

"And what is it to work with love?"

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

August 30, 2023 Poems for Labor Day “I Want the Wide American Earth” by Carlos Bulosan “Steel” by Kwame Dawes “The Poet and His Song” by Paul Laurence Dunbar “Driving to Work is a Spiritual Experience”

"[Aeons quest eye on]" by Julie Ezelle-Patton

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Aeons quest eye on / prob limp race Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day August 30, 2023 [Aeons quest eye on] Julie Ezelle-Patton Aeons quest eye on prob limp race Eeeee burrow @ a tomb well

"Lateral Violence" by Prageeta Sharma

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

First a flabby belittlement by some well-meaning Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day August 29, 2023 Lateral Violence Prageeta Sharma For Valorie First a flabby belittlement by some well-

You Might Also Like

Make your holidays shine! Enter for a chance to WIN $50K!

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Merry & Bright $50000 Sweepstakes ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

⚡ Amazon Lightning Deal! 12 Hours Only! ⚡

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Get the long-term solution for living a healthy life now. Special Offer From our Friends at Good Housekeeping ⚡ Amazon Lightning Deal! 12 Hours Only! ⚡ View in Browser A guide to starting the

Little Campuses

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Small towns, small colleges, and the question of what happened to the scale of things ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

solstice

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

save the date: a winter stretch + writing workshop ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

My Guy

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

From September ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

"Meetings" by Elizabeth Woody

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Twice on other travels a wolf stood in the periphery of lamplight. Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day November 27, 2024 Meetings Elizabeth Woody Twice on other travels a wolf stood on the

You’ve been shampooing all wrong

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

— Check out what we Skimm'd for you today November 27, 2024 Subscribe Read in browser Header Image But first: the best Black Friday sales to shop early Update location or View forecast Quote of the

#61: Public Service Announcement

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Starting to draw this season of 'She Dares To Say' to a close ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Review: “Monica”

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Daniel Clowes doesn't mess about. The opening two-page spread of his heart-wrenching fictional biography jump cuts from amoeba to cavemen to Jesus on the cross to the industrial revolution to the

This Sweater Will Be My Winter Hero Piece & I’ll Wear It Nonstop

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

So cozy and cute. The Zoe Report Daily The Zoe Report 11.26.2024 This Sweater Will Be My Winter Hero Piece & I'll Wear It Nonstop (Shopping) This Sweater Will Be My Winter Hero Piece & I