"Some One" by Walter de la Mare

I grew up reading and memorizing poetry.  My family had a complete set of Childcraft  books, circa 1954, and I spent countless hours reading books 1 and 2, the poetry books.  They not only had a fantastic selection of readable poems for children, but the pictures were sublime.  Burned into my malleable brain.  I nabbed them when I moved out and faithfully read them to my children.

Last week when I stumbled across the stump above I immediately thought of one of my all-time favorite poems from my childhood:

Some One 

Walter de la Mare

Some one came knocking

At my wee, small door;

Someone came knocking; 

 I'm sure-sure-sure; 

 I listened, I opened, 

 I looked to left and right, 

 But nought there was a stirring 

 In the still dark night; 

 Only the busy beetle 

 Tap-tapping in the wall, 

 Only from the forest 

 The screech-owl's call, 

 Only the cricket whistling 

 While the dewdrops fall, 

 So I know not who came knocking, 

 At all, at all, at all.

And yes, I can still rattle it off without prompting!

Here's the wonderful illustration from volume 1 of Childcraft.

Don't be surprised if I treat you to more poems from my youth in the weeks to come.  Now that I've opened my memory box, I won't be able to stop revisiting all my old favorites.