Oh, stupid folk and most unwise,
Within the cityward rushing train,
With faces blank and tired eyes
That to the printed pages strain.
Out where the spreading sunlight glows
On huddled yards and sordid walls,
Or red tiled villas, rows on rows,
A miracle to-day befalls.
And Resurrection sets a sign,
That all those having eyes may see,
Where loveliness is like a shrine
About the sanctity of a tree.
Oh, stupid folk and most unwise,
It fills my heart with sweetest pain
And praise. Like blooms from Paradise,
The white-starred almond buds again.
First published in The Brisbane Courier, 10 August 1929
