TWO GIRLS AND A WILLOW TREE
There were two little girls,
Jane and Jo were their names,
They were two little girls
Who played light simple games.
They played in a garden
On a hot summer's day
It was warm and they found not a tree on their way
Not a roof, not a soul to give shade to their play.
Jo said "There should be trees in a garden in June
That would catch the sunlight and then shadow the moon."
"There should be trees," Jane said, "to be bare in winters
And to wear in the spring a long dress full of birds."
They discussed the matter in the most serious way
And decided to plant a tree on the next day.
They lived in a country of more rain than sunlight
But they checked every day if the tree grew all right.
They were disappointed to find after two weeks
Only a few flowers and a couple of weeds.
The little girls, of course, quickly grew up and bloomed
And the young willow tree was forgotten quite soon.
They remained together and invented new games
That included dancing, fancy clothes and new friends.
They grew old together and had tea now and then
While all their grandchildren played games in the garden.
And when they grew so old their eyes were all weary
Their last gaze flew away towards an old willow tree
That stood in the garden where innocence made pearls
And now gave a shadow to little boys and girls.
There were two old ladies
Jane and Jo were their names.
They were two old ladies
Under two marble graves
Who did not mind the sun, as hot as it may be
For they lied in the shade of an old willow tree.