The Modern PoetFor your words and others.
Release 15
Always tinkering.

I use this place too. I keep finding things to add, change, or make a little better.

Latest check: 1,242 passed. Regular checks, ongoing improvements.

This round: quieter reading, book-style chapters, and one HH throughout.

THE MODERN POET

Lost in the Prairie

By William Topaz McGonagall

In one of fhe States of America, some years ago, There suddenly came on a violent storm of snow, Which was nearly the death of a party of workmen, Who had finished their day's work - nine or ten of them. The distance was nearly twenty miles to their camp, And with the thick falling snow their clothes felt damp, As they set out for their camp, which was in a large grove, And to reach it, manfully against the storm they strove. The wind blew very hard, and the snow was falling fast, Still, they plodded on, but felt a little downcast, And the snow fell so fast they could scarcely see, And they began to think they were lost on the wild prairie. And they suddenly noticed marks of footsteps in the snow, Which they found were their own tracks, as onward they did go, Then they knew they were lost on the great prairie, And what could they do in such a fearful extremity? Then their hearts began to sink with woe, In dread of having to pass the night in the snow, And they cried, "Oh, God help us to find our way, Or else we are lost on the lonely prairie." And while they stood shivering with the cold, One of the party a particular horse did behold, Which was known by the name of Old Jack, So to take off his bridle they were not slack. When the horse was let free he threw up his head and tail, Which seemed to say, "Follow ms, and ye will not fail. So come on, boys, and follow me, And I'll guide ye home safely." And they cried, " Old Jack can show us the way, So let's follow his tracks without dismay"; And with the falling snow they were chilled to the bone, But the horse seemed to say, "I'll show ye home." And at last they gave a shout of delight When they saw their camp fire burning bright, Which was to them a cheerful sight, And they caressed Old Jack for guiding them home that night. And they felt thankful to God for their safety, And they danced around Old Jack with their hearts full of glee, And Old Jack became a favourite from that day, Because he saved them from being lost on the wild prairie.

Original source ↗

Poetry data from PoetryDB, curated by The Combed Thunderclap · metadata CC BY 4.0 · Public-domain poem text (USA)

Explore The Modern Poet ↗

POETRY. PHILOSOPHY. THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE.

Something to read.
Something to feel.

Your work, and voices from around the world.
Poetry, poetic philosophy, and the people behind it.

Riddle of the day ↗

A little rhyme. Something to turn over. Tomorrow, a possible answer.

Explore public sources. Read the work where it was shared.

A moment with the words.

A note on the rotation

Box one belongs to works shared here—pictures, poems, or both—with a new selection each hour. The other three change one at a time every fifteen minutes. One is a Halloween poem through October. Skip any card, or pause while you read.

THERE’S ROOM FOR YOUR VOICE.

Got something to say?
Leave it here.

A poem. A picture. Both. Sign your name, use a pen name,
or stay anonymous. You don’t owe anyone an explanation.

YOUR WORDS. YOUR WAY.

Leave something here.

Post a poem, a picture, or both. No profile needed.

Picture-only posts are welcome. No nudity or sexual images. Images stay in your private local queue pending review; automated screening is not connected in this preview.

A little bird, optional.

Artwork becomes the small icon; without artwork, your companion takes its place. You can also leave the small icon blank. Preview everything and change your mind before posting. No account needed.

You keep ownership of your work. Posting availability is checked before you submit. Passing work publishes; flagged work waits privately for the owner.