Charlotte High School - Witan Yearbook (Rochester, NY)

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T H K PARADOX In the quiet heat of the morning I sit and watch An old lady pushing a lawn mower, An old lady with a broad-rimmed hat Pushing a lawn mower. Youth in the sun Watching, And an old lady Pushing a lawn mower. The sun shoves up the grass, An old lady cuts it down. And youth sits watching In the sun. And youth sits watching........ H. R. D. SPRING The dew was lighting on the flowers» And the sun was peeping through; This was indeed a glorious sight, And the flowers were glorious, too. The daffodils popped up their head. , And the crocuses stirred in their mossy beds; A tiny voice of a pansy was heard, “Spring is here! Spring is here! SUMMER'S COMING Flowers are opening up each bud, While little boys play in the mud. School and Homework are passing by, Hut June exams—oh me, oh my! They're coming on without delay. And oh! Do they know the way? Here and there a bluebird is humming. That's a sure sign that summer’s com- ing. Mother, get out your summer hat; Mary, brush otT that muddy mat; Baby, atop that annoying cry; See, the summer sun is in the sky. FLOWERS Flowers art blooming everywhere, The fragrance of them fills the air; Each day it is the silvery rain That helps to make them fresh again. Every day in rain or shine A little girl, who is only nine, Picks a few of the blossoms rare, And then her singing fills the air. Madaline Harris, 7A. W I T A N ROMAN DEATH The Spinner of Life Bends, Gathers, And cuts a tangled skein. Charon swings His pole Slowly; A burden in his boat. 0. Judd, '31. STORM The moon scuds low; A ship Heeling Before the blasts Of Nature’s wrath. The flying clouds. Rent and ripped. Shudder on: The shattered sails Of Luna. Now a fitful gleaming Like a beacon light On tossing waters, Lights the riven trees Below. The sodden ground Runs; And quails beneath The beat Of coursing rain. The storm goes on Unquiet And leaves behind A scene Of dustless desolation. O. Judd, '31. LAMENT The smoke of time Ascends, And fills the mind With clouds Of Doubt and Fear, For things once stable Tremble And shift in form Like shadow's Cast by flickering lamps. To hope for constancy And happiness again Is vain. 30 O. Judd, '31.

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T H E W I T A N JEALOUSY A seething rush of feeling; Blotting out reason; A mist o'er mind; Blackness. An insatiable desire To rend, to tear, to rip The thing that caused it all: Restraint. A vision of blasted hopes, A slag pile of despair Rises, towers, topples: And covers light. O. Judd. 31. VISION “Friend 1 quoth Ammon, “thy gaze is mournful, Yet, on the world thy glance is scorn- ful And you sigh As if in longing For some unknown region lying Far beyond the eastern sky. Whence come you Pnat you seem so like the unrequited, lover, Who is wont to haunt and hover ’Bout the sources of his choler; Whose soul no drug can purge, But, directed by some elemental urge Only walks and vaguely shudders. Why does your eye so raptly turn On that which I discern To be but a lone bird wheeling ’Neath the fair aeolian ceiling Of the sky? (Thv raiment were not kingly. Were it taken singly. Yet, in its many folds It seems A newer grace to hold, Since it is worn by thee). The shadows soft are falling And the voice of eve is calling; Let us go Ere ebon night her sable curtain Draweth low. Why speak you not You silent figure? Are thy senses tightly bound That you perceive not, or vet, In silence nurse thy wound? What sayest thou......... Gone! (Sun-madness, this, Purveyor of Life And betraying by kiss). Kingly he seemed......... Diaphonous ....... vague, A vision.........hut then— What this? On the rock! “The Fisher of Men. G. N. W. We get to school at eight each morn, In Winter, Spring and Fall, And study hard, with a hope forlorn And wait for vacation call. We strive each day and do our best Our lessons for to’learn, And during our vacation For our classroom pals we yearn. As we go on another year, For knowledge we shall strive, So you had better keep an eye on The Class of 35. And as through life we go along, With a laugh, a tear, or sigh, The happiest days of all of them Were spent in Charlotte High. Robert Godfrey. T8A-2. REMINISCENCE The happiest hours we spend Are not those we regret. And yet, They fill us with discontent For’our present state. Memories of laughter and pale chiffon And the warmth of sunlight's gleam- ing .... How often they fill the train of thought— Giving rise to fruitless dreaming. (Actuality has its sublety To woo the vagrant mind. But, what is the efficacy Of a changing wind? I Ah to but find the median Twixt having and wanting to have. To know the happiness of the past And find it anew—today. G. N. W. 29

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T H E THE OLD GARDEN GATE In the midst of my garden Of tulips, so gay, Bv the Old Garden Gate 1 desire to stay. 1 sit there from morning Til night sometimes, And listen to The church bell's chimes. 1 think of the days Of my childhood past When l‘d swing on that beautiful Gate so fast. And how in the winter I could not play On the beautiful, flowery Gate that way. 1 had to play In the nursery small; On every side There was a wall. I thought and thought Of that beautiful Gate; Oh! Twas long to wait! Carol Ward, 7BT. ENGLISH To English class we hasten, To study little rhymes About shins and seas, and then We study all the climes. Wo dream about the frozen north. And the heat of tropical days; And almost wish we were sailing fort ' To the splendor of unknown bays. Maude Lancaster. SPRING Now the brooks bsgin to ring, And the birds begin to sing; These are signs of joyous Spring And the pretty flowers it will bring. Eleanor Marsh, I IT. BOOK Oh take time to look at me, I may be bright and smart you see, PI! tell you of the land and sea; Oh take time to look at me. June Burhans, 7A-2. W I 1 A N REJECTION The trees retain their breath As the sun slips slowly on, On beyond the West. The trees retain their breath Standing motionless, Stricken by a loveliness. Men hurry on in high disdain; Proudly they claim Immunity From this beauty's pain. H. R. D. TREES Oh trees, do blow your gentle breeze, So the children can laugh and dance with glee; Dun’t be stubborn, as we know you can. Just blow your breeze, oh please, for me. June Burhnns, 7A-2. STROLLING 1 was strolling in the moonlight With my little brother Bill, We walked the whole evening, up and down the country hills. It was just about twilight, and every- thing was still, And we could hear very plainly The song of the whip-poor-will. The twilight shades were falling, And the dew was settling down, When brother Bill got tired and wo both returned to town. QUEEN MAY Winter ice and snow have gone And birds sing all the day, Bees and butterflies play at tag; Now comes our dear Queen May. You’re full of laughter and of fun, In colorful array; Everybody, old and young, Welcomes you, Queen May! Lois Madison, 7AT. Ml