Oak Grove Coburn High School - Oak Leaves Yearbook (Vassalboro, ME)

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OAK LEAVES The worldless majesty of starsg That one still hour, before dawn, That brings self-knowledge, proud and unafraidg The hand of a friend in time of needy A friend's eyes in a crowded room, The safe knowledge of sure loveg Understanding and pity for humanity- These goodly things I give to thee. W., '38. BRIEF INTERLUDE The water lapped rhythmically 'against the boat lying at anchorage within the sandy bar, as I lay stretched on the deck. The sunbeams danced upon the ripples that played along the side of the boat and the green water that was as clear as glass seemed as deep as the sky was high. I could hear the mewing of the gulls flashing by overhead, the Whistling of the soft wind blowing through the eel grass at the Water's edge and the low clang of a distant bell buoy. Along the horizon rose great mountains of white clouds broken only by the huge rocks which stretched upward, bleak and bare, towards which the breakers sprang as young, joyous and impa- tient hounds. As I gazed at the cloudls, I discerned a smudge of grey and soon felt the long, even swell that rose and fell betokening an approaching storm. The birds flew higher, uttering discordant cries and the rigging hummed mournfully as the boat began to lurch in the choppy Water. I furled the sails, and stowed the jib as the mast creaked to and fro. The wind had increased to a gale and the boat pitched at her anchor as the waves bore her hither and thither. Dark, foaming vbillows dashed over the bow and then like the boom of a gun, the storm broke from the murky blackness. Torrents of rain fell and the hail skidded across the water treacherously as the lightning streamed across the somber water. Then the wind shifted to the northwest and steadily diminished as the sun struggled through the low-lying clouds to touch the tops of the green waves chasing each other past the boat. With a swish and a swash the boat again lay at anchor, and no signs of th-e preceding squall were visible. The sea, though it responds to the race of the winds and -becomes a lake of stormy waters, responds as quickly to the softer moods of the West wind and becomes almost as placid as a mill pond. In the depths below, the waters preserve their undisturbed calm though the surface may roll with towering waves. Even so, now and again, we meet great souls who, like the deep hidden waters, keep the even tenor of their peaceful lives unaffected- by th-e thousand disturbing currents and cross purposes which threaten their lives with tumult and storm. W BETTY Bnooxs, '39. 18

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OAK LEAVES Royal blue now decends on the earth, Trees, young and old, grow velvety-dark And nod grotesquely at the sky. We'll sleep 'til we hear the song of the lark, Hauntingly tender, hauntingly sweet. ANN BLACK, '40 IRONY SUPREME 'Tis Christmas night, when shepherds, Who watched their flocks, heard angels sing, 'Tis Christmas night, when over all the world, Some twenty hundred years ago, peace reigned, And a Holy -Child was in a manger laid, Because there was no room within the inn, And the Three Wise Men came, adoring, And bearing gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, And yet tonight in Bethlehem, Before the place wherein the Child was born, Stand men in khaki, bearing guns, Stand armored cars, and hate, and fear. Are these the gifts ye bring the Child- The Child who was the Son of God, Who died for us upon a cross, That we might have eternal peace? TO- All fair and lovely things I give to thee- The sudden splendor of the ocean's blu-eg The whiteness of beaches in the sung The purity of birchesg The silence of a summer afternoon, The mournful sighing of the pines, Green moss in a shadowy wood, Elves' cups on a knotted stump, A tiny spotted fawn beside a brookg A soft, 'blue hour, just 'before darkg The crickets' cheerful song, 17 E., '38

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OAK LEAVES ,NX DAUGHTER, TEACHER AND MOTHER 19