A Refuge

Where the sea comes in with a seething roar
From out of the endless blue,
To a dreaming land where the tall palms blow
And a peaceful world where the wild flowers grow,
With a gay profusion strange and new
To one from a colder shore.

How different this from the dirt and grime
Of the city dull and dim,
With its street cars' roaring monotone
And its constant hum and ceaseless drone,
Where all life seems so harsh and grim
Compared with that softer clime.

That other world of soft blue skies
And dreamy tropic nights,
A world of peace and happiness
And a myriad fresh delights.
Give to me a refuge thus,
Hemmed in by the surging sea,
Far away from the city's rush,
And known just to God and me.

—J.A.C.