Spring Morning
By
A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne
Where am I going? I don't quite know.
Down to the stream where the king-cups grow -
Up on the hill where the pine-trees blow -
Anywhere, anywhere, I don't know
Where am I going? The clouds sail by,
Little ones, baby ones, over the sky.
Where am I going? The shadows pass,
Little ones, baby ones, over the grass
If you were a cloud, and sailed up there,
You'd sail on water as blue as air,
And you'd see me here in the fields and say:
"Doesn't the sky look green today?"
Where am I going? The high rooks call:
"It's awful fun to be born at all."
Where am I going? The ring-doves coo:
"We do have beautiful things to do."
If you were a bird, and lived on high,
You'd lean on the wind when the wind came by,
You'd say to the wind when it took you away:
"That's where I wanted to go today!"
Where am I going? I don't quite know.
What does it matter where people go?
Down to the wood where the blue-bells grow -
Anywhere, anywhere. I don't know.
When I was a
kid my
Mom used to recite this poem over and over. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I realised she wasn’t just making it up, when I read it in a book. I was startled that it didn’t credit my Mom with writing it...
Actually, I was surprised that she’d read something in a book, remembered it, and now recited it to her kids. Having
two kids of my own now, and not having memorized anything but the theme to
Sponge Bob Square Pants, I recognise this as a feat.
Being a hobby
book collector (read, when I have the time and money) I found this poem in a
1925 publication of
A. A. Milne’s "
When We Were Very Young". Published by
McClelland & Stewart, Limited,
Toronto, and printed in
Canada. Incidentally, my Mom gave me that book
out of the blue one day.
I’m 27 now and many of the decisions I’ve made in my life have been made while
the voice of my mother sang
"Where am I going? I don’t quite know. What does it matter where people go?" in the back of my head. Specifically I remember that song playing in my head while I turned down my first
job offer after finishing
university. They came back to me with more money and I’ve been with the company for
511 years now.
Perhaps it’s not node-worthy, but I had to stick it out there anyway.
To Michael: I am, and shall remain, my own man. Thanks.