#MIDDLEBURY
The Peddler of Flowers
Amy Lowell
I came from the country
With flowers,
Larkspur and roses,
Fretted lilies
In their leaves,
And long, cool lavender.
I carried them
From house to house,
And cried them
Down hot streets.
The sun fell
Upon my flowers,
And the dust of the streets
Blew over my basket.
That night
I slept upon the open seats
Of a circus,
Where all day long
People had watched
The antics
Of a painted clown.
About this poem
“The Peddler of Flowers” was published in Vol. 1, No. 2, of Others magazine in August 1915.
About Amy Lowell
Amy Lowell was born on Feb. 9, 1874, in Brookline, Mass. She was the author of numerous books, including “Fir-Flower Tablets” (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1921) and “What’s a Clock” (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1925), which won the Pulitzer Prize. She died on May 12, 1925.
The Academy of American Poets is a nonprofit, mission-driven organization, whose aim is to make poetry available to a wider audience. Email The Academy at poem-a-day@poets.org.
This poem is in the public domain. Originally published in Poem-a-Day, www.poets.org. Distributed by King Features Syndicate.
