"Barter" By: Sara Teasdale

This is a poem an English teacher at my school showed me. She showed it to me to use in the recitation competition I participated in... I didn't end up using it but its quickly become one of my favorites. Throughout this poem Teasdale does an excellent job of portraying life's beauty, its wonders, its loveliness. Its a great poem in that it shows life half full instead of half empty. It describes life in such a way that seems tangible. My favorite lines are "Life has a loveliness to sell, music like the curve of gold, scent of the pine trees in the rain, eyes that love you, arms that hold." I think I like it so much because it speaks about four of my  favorite things, music, rain, pine trees, and love. Props the Sara!

Barter

Life has loveliness to sell,
All beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
Soaring fire that sways and sings,
And children's faces looking up,
Holding wonder like a cup.

Life has loveliness to sell,
Music like the curve of gold,
Scent of pine trees in the rain,
Eyes that love you, arms that hold,
And for your spirit's still delight,
Holy thoughts that star the night.

Spend all you have for loveliness,
Buy it and never count the cost;
For one white singing hour of peace
Count many a year of strife well lost,
And for a breath of ecstasy
Give all you have been, or could be.

Sara Teasdale