Colin F. Jones

ODE TO A YOUNG LADY

Shrink not from revelation of yourself,
though it be cautioned by its shyer stealth,
bound up by faiths and rules and promised fates,
to which you cannot lest you seek relate.
You are unique and there is power in you,
‘tis not your vision to claim another’s view,
but yet observe and form your own debate,
from all that life in you can congregate.
So fair you are, so young so finely made,
‘tis not your roll to linger in the shade,
for the world awaits the sunlight of your smile,
that where you walk will warm our hearts awhile,
For you by God were chosen to be you,
and that dear girl makes you one in few.