Just Folks

At Pelletier's

          We've been out to Pelletier's
          Brushing off the stain of years,
          Quitting all the moods of men
          And been boys and girls again.
          We have romped through orchards blazing,
          Petted ponies gently grazing,
          Hidden in the hayloft's spaces,
          And the queerest sort of places
          That are lost (and it's a pity!)
          To the youngsters in the city.
          And the hired men have let us
          Drive their teams, and stopped to get us
          Apples from the trees, and lingered
          While a cow's cool nose we fingered;
          And they told us all about her
          And her grandpa who was stouter.

          We've been out to Pelletier's
          Watching horses raise their ears,
          And their joyous whinnies hearing
          When the man with oats was nearing.
          We've been climbing trees an' fences
          Never minding consequences.
          And we helped the man to curry
          The fat ponies' sides so furry.
          And we saw a squirrel taking
          Walnuts to the nest he's making,
          Storing them for winter, when he
          Can't get out to hunt for any.
          And we watched the turkeys, growing
          Big and fat and never knowing
          That the reason they were living
          Is to die for our Thanksgiving.

          We've been out to Pelletier's,
          Brushing off the stain of years.
          We were kids set free from shamming
          And the city's awful cramming,
          And the clamor and the bustle
          And the fearful rush and hustle—
          Out of doors with room to race in
          And broad acres soft to chase in.
          We just stretched our souls and let them
          Drop the petty cares that fret them,
          Left our narrow thoughts behind us,
          Loosed the selfish traits that bind us
          And were wholesomer and plainer
          Simpler, kinder folks and saner,
          And at night said: "It's a pity
          Mortals ever built a city."