Hearts

Say, wouldn’t you love to be where I carved

      My name and your name, too,

While my heart looked out of my eyes half starved

      For a smile and a look from you?

Say, wouldn’t you like to be there again,

      Beneath the beech tree’s shade,

And laugh again as we both laughed then

      At the crooked hearts I made?

Two crooked hearts in a tangled skein,

      A scroll of my own design,

So tangly, wrangly, it wasn’t plain

      Which heart was yours or mine;

All that was plain was our names cut deep

      To the beech tree’s sturdy heart;

But the hearts, so mixed with slash and sweep,

      They couldn’t be told apart.

Oh, life was a joke that day for you,

      And life was a joke for me,

And the hearts were a joke with the names carved

            through,

      And love was a shriek of glee!

And each looked into the eyes of each

      And laughed as glances met;

Oh, you and that day are beyond my reach,

      But my lips are smiling yet.

It was such a joke, was the carven heart,

      Was the carven heart of you;

Oh, the tangly hearts no eye could part,

      With names of us both cut through!

But I think you sorted them wrong that day

      From out of the scroll’s design;

Oh, you went your way, and I went my way,

      But I feel that you took mine.

Lilts O Love Table Of Contents