Spoils Of The Dead - Poem by Robert Frost

Spoils Of The Dead  

      - by Robert Frost

Two fairies it was 

  On a still summer day 

    Came forth in the woods 

    With the flowers to play. 

    The flowers they plucked 

    They cast on the ground 

    For others, and those 

    For still others they found. 

    Flower-guided it was 

    That they came as they ran 

    On something that lay 

    In the shape of a man. 

    The snow must have made 

    The feathery bed 

    When this one fell 

    On the sleep of the dead. 

    But the snow was gone 

    A long time ago, 

    And the body he wore 

    Nigh gone with the snow. 

    The fairies drew near 

    And keenly espied 

    A ring on his hand 

    And a chain at his side. 

    They knelt in the leaves 

    And eerily played 

    With the glittering things, 

    And were not afraid. 

    And when they went home 

    To hide in their burrow, 

    They took them along 

    To play with to-morrow. 

    When you came on death, 

    Did you not come flower-guided 

    Like the elves in the wood? 

    I remember that I did. 

    But I recognised death 

    With sorrow and dread, 

    And I hated and hate 

    The spoils of the dead.

Wind And Window Flower - Poem by Robert Frost

Wind And Window Flower

     - By Robert Frost

Lovers, forget your love, 

    And list to the love of these, 

    She a window flower, 

    And he a winter breeze. 

    When the frosty window veil 

    Was melted down at noon, 

    And the cagèd yellow bird 

    Hung over her in tune.

    He marked her through the pane, 

    He could not help but mark, 

    And only passed her by, 

    To come again at dark. 

    He was a winter wind, 

    Concerned with ice and snow, 

    Dead weeds and unmated birds, 

    And little of love could know. 

    But he sighed upon the sill, 

    He gave the sash a shake, 

    As witness all within 

    Who lay that night awake. 

    Perchance he half prevailed 

    To win her for the flight 

    From the firelit looking-glass 

    And warm stove-window light. 

    But the flower leaned aside 

    And thought of naught to say, 

    And morning found the breeze 

    A hundred miles away.

Start Where You Stand - Poem by Berton Braley

Start Where You Stand 

       - By Berton Braley

Start where you stand and never mind the past,

The past won't help you in beginning new,

If you have left it all behind at last

Why, that's enough, you're done with it, you're through;

This is another chapter in the book,

This is another race that you have planned,

Don't give the vanished days a backward look,

Start where you stand.

The world won't care about your old defeats

If you can start anew and win success,

The future is your time, and time is fleet

And there is much of work and strain and stress;

Forget the buried woes and dead despairs,

Here is a brand new trial right at hand,

The future is for him who does and dares,

Start where you stand.

Old failures will not halt, old triumphs aid,

To-day's the thing, to-morrow soon will be;

Get in the fight and face it unafraid,

And leave the past to ancient history;

What has been, has been; yesterday is dead

And by it you are neither blessed nor banned,

Take courage, man, be brave and drive ahead,

Start where you stand.

That's Success - Poem By Berton Braley

That's Success

         - By Berton Braley

It's doing your job the best you can,

And being just to your fellow man;

It's making money - but holding friends,

And being true to your aims and ends.

It's figuring how and learning why,

And looking forward and thinking high;

And dreaming a little and doing much,

It's keeping always in closest touch.

With what is finest in word and deed,

It's being through, yet making speed;

It's daring blithely the field of chance,

While making labour a brave romance.

It's going onward despite defeat,

And fighting staunchly, but keeping sweet;

It's being clean and it's playing fair,

It's laughing lightly at Dame Despair.

It's looking up at the stars above,

And drinking deeply of life and love;

It's struggling on with the will to win,

But taking loss with a cheerful grin.

It's sharing sorrow and work and mirth,

And making better this good old earth;

It's serving, striving, through strain and stress,

It's doing your noblest - that's success!

Glossary

Blithely - happily

Staunchly - firmly

How to Build Your Own Hovercraft Toy

Making a hovercraft toy is a DIY fun activity for kids. This simple activity where the children make their own hovercraft using simple materials available easily at home would keep kids busy and entertained during weekends and holidays. The best part about making this hovercraft toy is that you could use it as a toy made from recyclable materials and thus label it as a recyclable craft.

Materials required to build your own Hovercraft Toy

Old CD - 1
Balloon - 1, big size
Pop-top cap - 1 (from used drinking water bottle)
Glue

Method for Hovercraft Toy

1

Take a pop-top cap and with the help of glue, stick it in the center of the used CD right around the hole. Ensure that before sticking, the pop-top cap is closed. Allow it to dry completely.

2

Stretch the neck of the balloon on the pop-top cap.

3

Once done, blow the balloon from the other end of the CD. Now open the cap. Place this hovercraft on a smooth surface and watch how it glides away. It is important that the hovercraft toy you made is placed on the smooth surface to allow smooth gliding.

How this Works?

A hovercraft is a vehicle that is known to glide over a smooth surface by hovering on an air-cushion. And hence it is also known as a Air Cushion Vehicle. The air currents trapped beneath the vehicle's surface allow the vehicle to glide smoothly. 

A Quiet Mind - By Ruskin Bond

A Quiet Mind 

     - By Ruskin Bond (To Live In Magic)

Lord, give me a quiet mind, 

That I might listen; 

A gentle tone of voice 

That I may comfort others. 

A sound and healthy body, 

That I may share... 

In the joy of walking, 

And leaping and running. 

And a good sense of direction, 

So I might know just where I am going.

Journey's End You Can - Poem By George Washington Carver

Journey's End You Can 

- By George Washington Carver

Figure it out for yourself, my lad

You've all the greatest of men have had;

Two arms, two hands, two legs, two eyes,

And a brain to use if you would be wise.

With this equipment, they all began.

Do start from the top and say, "I can."

Look them over, the wise and the great:

They take their food from a common plate,

And similar knives and forks they use,

With similar laces, they tie their shoes...

The world considers them brave and smart,

But you've all they had when they made their start.

You can triumph and come to skill.

You can be great if you only will.

You're well equipped for what fight you choose:

Yo have arms and legs and a brain to use;

And the man who has risen, great deeds to do,

Began his life with no more than you

You are the handicap you must face;

You are the one who must choose his place;

You must say what you want to do,

How much you will study, the truth to know;

God has equipped you for life, but He

Let's you decide what you want to be.

Courage must come from the soul within,

The man must furnish the will to win,

So figure it out for yourself, my lad;

You have born with all that the great have had;

With your equipment, they all began...

Get hold of yourself and say: "I can."