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oems 
 
 BY 
 
 CHARLOTTE HIMBURG 
 
 Denver, Colorado 
 
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 VI 
 
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 Copyright 1921 by 
 
 CHARLOTTE HIMBURG 
 
 Denver, Colorado 
 
 1921 
 
 THE SMITH -BROOKS PRESS 
 
 DENVER 
 
 ©CU6il461 
 
Tore word 
 
 In as small a space as pos- 
 sible I have endeavored to give 
 to my readers a few of my 
 favorite poems, realizing that to 
 include all within such limits 
 would be impossible. I hope 
 that the reader will find inspira- 
 tion to better things, to face 
 manfully the battles of life, loy- 
 alty to God and humanity. If 
 these three qualities are empha- 
 sized then my work shall not 
 have been in vain. 
 
 CHARLOTTE HIMBURG. 
 
HAPPINESS 
 
 Do you know the way to be happy, 
 
 To make others happy, too. 
 Is to laugh at little troubles 
 
 That may come to him or you? 
 Just close your eyes to worry, 
 
 And open them with the light. 
 Then see if thought hasn't brought you 
 
 Many things to call delight. 
 
 You may say it is easy to laugh 
 
 At the troubles that come to him. 
 
 But the troubles and worry that come to 
 
 you. 
 The greater your care is, too. 
 Be happy for sake of others. 
 Don't grieve at a little loss. 
 Play the part of a man^ 
 Brighten every life you can, 
 With your happy way of doing all you 
 
 planned. 
 
 You may have some little troubles every 
 
 day. 
 But you do not need to take them all the 
 
 way. 
 Try at first to just forget, 
 Life has something sweeter yet. 
 Fling your troubles all aside 
 And let happiness abide in your life. 
 Both day and night. 
 For your effort in the fight. 
 
Then your friends will thank you, too, 
 For the happiness you strew in their path- 
 way, 
 Then when all is said and done. 
 And you know the fight is won, 
 Over troubles, over worry, over all, 
 When you know you've done your best. 
 Put your efforts to a test, 
 Fill some lives with happiness to the brim. 
 
 Then just smile and smile again, 
 
 TTiink once, when the task of pleasing men 
 
 Seemed impossible with you. 
 
 But the victory you have won 
 
 Over trouble, over worry, over all. 
 
 Has brought happiness to you. 
 
 To your friends and all you knew. 
 
 For the life that you have led. 
 
 And the joys that they have had in your 
 
 friendship. 
 Yes — a friendship that is true. 
 
WHO IS HE? 
 
 Your Uncle Sam, well, who is he? 
 
 Now let me tell you without going 
 farther. 
 
 He is more to you than any brother. 
 He's more than any king could be, 
 For he watches o'er you and me. 
 
 You are your Uncle Sam's great son. 
 
 So long as you his work have done. 
 Your Uncle Sam has said to you, 
 "My boy, what work do you wish to 
 do?" 
 
 From start to finish, he's your friend. 
 
 Helping you on every hand. 
 
 Your Uncle Sam, he says to you, 
 I'll give you work you will like to do. 
 I'll teach you what is wrong and right. 
 And by the wisdom of this rule. 
 You will be termed as no man's fool. 
 
 So let us help him all we can. 
 And live up to his every plan 
 Of making things of wrong go right 
 And play the man. 
 
 Let come what may, for he's your Uncle 
 Sam each day. 
 
Oh Uncle Sam, we'll be true to you. 
 We'll fling our starry banners out that all 
 may know 
 The reason why we serve you all we 
 can. 
 It is your Uncle Sam, in truth, 
 That makes of you a happy youth. 
 And then a great big man. 
 
UFE O'ER 
 
 If we were to live our lives anew, 
 
 There are many things we would not do. 
 
 We would not speak a harmful word of 
 
 anyone. 
 That might be heard by man on earth or 
 
 God above. 
 
 But if our lives we could live again. 
 
 We would walk our paths with greater 
 vim, 
 
 And rejoice with all our fellowmen, 
 Knowing that it surely pleaseth Him, 
 
 Who is our guide to the path we choose. 
 
 Could we this journey brief remake. 
 We would not need to claim mistakes. 
 Nor scan the past, nor come to find, 
 Tliat we had failed to keep in line. 
 
 How^ many joys we'd sacrifice. 
 Rather than pay the bitter price 
 Of having failed to do our share, 
 Of bringing joy in everywhere. 
 
 If just once more we could live life o*er. 
 We would speak to all as sister and 
 
 brother. 
 We would speak with a love that lies 
 
 deep in the heart, 
 Rejoicing to know we did our part. 
 
LIFE'S JOURNEY 
 
 When the seeds that we have scattered 
 In the furrows of the years, 
 
 Shall be ripened for the harvest, 
 
 All their stores of hopes and fears. 
 
 When the master bids us number 
 All the moments that have flown, 
 
 Will it be a joyful harvest 
 
 When we reap what we have sown? 
 
 We must scatter seeds of kindness, 
 As through life's journey stroll. 
 
 Precious dews of grace are falling, 
 To reward our faithful toil. 
 
 Shall we reap with joy or sadness 
 
 All the harvest of the soul. 
 And be glad to meet our Saviour, 
 
 Whom we long ago have known? 
 
 We are sowing seeds to blossom, 
 We shall reap what we have sown. 
 
 In that grand and beautiful kingdom 
 TTiat is soon to be our home. 
 
 10 
 
BITTER AND SWEET 
 
 The sorrows of life may be many, 
 But we know that joy is in store, 
 
 For the hope that lies within our hearts 
 Has told us o'er and o'er. 
 
 Though sorrows may often surround us, 
 We will not let them remain. 
 
 The birds may depart in winter. 
 
 But they always return with the spring. 
 
 The flowers may lose all their beauty, 
 Their fragrance of sweetness we miss. 
 
 They follow the law of nature. 
 To sleep in the land of bliss. 
 
 Though the winters howe'er unpleasant, 
 We know will not always last, 
 
 We look to the present 
 
 And not the future or past. 
 
 And so we think 'twere better 
 
 To take the bitter as well as sweet. 
 
 For were all felicity. 
 
 And we had no crosses to bear. 
 
 What need would there be of victory. 
 Or heaven fair. 
 
 11 
 
LONGING FOR HOME 
 
 When the violets spring from their 
 
 slumber, 
 And the bluebells nod their heads, 
 
 When the morning glories climb around 
 the door, 
 Then I long, oh long to travel 
 To my home of long ago where mother 
 Waits to greet me, as of yore. 
 
 Oh 'tis then my dreams of childhood 
 
 Come back to me again. 
 
 For I'm filled with cheer at every little 
 
 sound, 
 When the bluebirds in the meadows 
 Begin to sing their songs. 
 It is then I long to be back home again. 
 
 Just to see my dear old mother. 
 
 As she waits there at the door. 
 
 Just to know she is waiting there for me, 
 
 For there is no love like mother love, 
 
 And this you will learn when you've 
 
 wandered. 
 Yes — ^you've wandered far from home. 
 
 12 
 
FALL TIME 
 
 ^ 
 
 Trees all dressed in golden brown, J 
 
 Gray skies hoverin* over mounds « 
 
 Where the flowers droop and say this is 
 
 fall. 
 We want to say that we only came ^ 
 
 To stay for a while, 
 You have been so kind to us. 
 
 We have drunk the morning dews, 
 
 Glad for warm sunshine too, - 
 
 Until now we are content, 
 
 And our beauty we have lent, '^ 
 
 But your skies today are gray, «j 
 
 And our beauty fades away. 
 
 Like the roses on the mounds, 
 
 Roses that w^ere proud and gay, i 
 
 Seem to want to get away \ 
 
 From their nature's timely task like a man J 
 
 Who's borne the strain of a duty's 
 
 Hard campaign. 
 
 So the roses as you see tired and wan, '4 
 
 Their strength is shriven 
 
 By their beauty they have given. *^ 
 
 This we say is Nature call 
 
 To the flow^ers one and all, 
 
 Telling us that this is fall. 
 
 13 
 
LITTLE BIRDS 
 
 The birds, they lead a pleasant life, 
 They spend their sunny hours singing 
 In the tree tops and upon the lofty 
 towers. 
 They know where the fields of corn tops 
 
 grow. 
 They fly where the red berries grow, 
 TTiey sing in the fragrant bowers. 
 
 TTiey heed not the beauty of butterflies. 
 With wings of golden brown, 
 
 Though they fly among the flowers. 
 Without a note or a sound. 
 
 Save the silent flutter of tiny wings. 
 As they light upon the ground. 
 
 Then sing, oh sing little birds in the tree 
 tops. 
 
 Yes — sing you birds on the towers. 
 Lend music all about us. 
 
 For yours are the happy hours. 
 
 14 
 
JUST SMILE 
 
 It's hard to sing when things go wrong, 
 And the world seems a dreary place, 
 But better smile than cast a frow^n on any 
 
 face. 
 Yes, it's hard, I say, to endure all things 
 And smile when things go wrong. 
 
 Just smile and smile wherever you go 
 And make the world cheery for friend and 
 
 foe. 
 For giving way to a dreary life 
 
 Means nothing to you or me. 
 
 Content thyself where'er you be 
 Or what your lot in life. 
 
 Forget your own cares and sing a song, 
 Then the days to you will not seem so 
 
 long, 
 For there's not a soul in the world I say 
 But has some cares and some dreary days. 
 You win the battle when you say, 'Til 
 
 smile. 
 No matter what may come the while,** 
 And bravely bear, tho* your heart must 
 
 ache, 
 Whate'er your lot in life may be — 
 
 Just Smile. 
 
 15 
 
COURAGE 
 
 When troubles assail you and friends 
 
 seem to fail you. 
 Then there's nothing for you to do but 
 
 take all that comes, and strive right 
 
 along. 
 Then things will brighten for you. 
 
 Your friends may forget you, when in 
 
 trouble they find you. 
 But this doesn't matter at all; the thing 
 
 then to do is to see the thing through. 
 And never say failure or fall 
 
 A man must have courage when all else 
 
 has failed him, and friends, they 
 
 have drifted away. 
 It's the hope then, within you, that keeps 
 
 every sinew in order by striving 
 
 away. 
 
 Be a friend to yourself, man, even though 
 you're in despair, man, then your 
 skies will brighten to blue. 
 
 Keep courage in mind and this you will 
 find. 
 
 Is the thing that will help you right 
 through. 
 
 TTien when pleasures come to you, your 
 
 friends 
 Seem to know you, because you have 
 
 kept right in line. 
 Your woes, they have gone, but courage 
 
 keeps on. 
 So 'tis courage that counts every time. 
 
 16 
 
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