Reflections

by

Rigel Osborn Belt

Forty poems, transcribed from the family copy by his great-grandson, Eric Rose.

Dedicated
to my mother
Mary Ryland Belt

Foreword

The poet

A few sentences about Rigel Osborn Belt: when and where he lived, what he did for work, and what drew him to poetry.

Questions to answer: Who were Avis, Molly, Clara, Diane, and Peggy? Where was “the gut,” the river bank, and the garden he wrote about?

The book

Reflections was published in a limited printing and dedicated to his mother, Mary Ryland Belt. Its later poems are gathered under a section written for his wife, Bertha Brownell Belt. The signature below comes from a copy he inscribed by hand.

When and where the book was printed, and how many copies were made.

From an inscribed copy

Contents

  1. Two A.M.1See from my window the snowflakes falling,
  2. The Gut in the Winter2Down in the gut the reeds are sighing,
  3. The Rhetoric of a Tear3Out of Ponderosa Pine my sculptured being came,
  4. Who Are They4Derelicts upon life’s sea
  5. Mooring5What are thy rocks and cliffs,
  6. To Avis6The greatest treasure one can find
  7. Life’s Procession7Softly falls the twilight at the close of day;
  8. My Choice8I often muse if I could have
  9. To Diane9DEAR CHILD,
  10. An Idyl10Down by the willows that shadow the brook,
  11. Dream Ships11Boys flying kites up into the welkin blue
  12. Pity Me Not12Knee-high in clover I stride over fields
  13. Little Thistle13Thistle, thistle, thistle down!
  14. To the Climbing Clematis14Why do you climb when you can run?
  15. To Peggy15Come, my dear, and walk with me,
  16. To Avis on Valentine’s Day16Drab is the lawn and leafless the trees,
  17. To Molly on Valentine’s Day17Sweet maid, you are my choice
  18. Where’er You Walk18I’ll tell you, dear, where earth and heaven meet:
  19. Beautiful River19Beautiful river, whence floweth thou on
  20. On the River Bank20They stand upon the brink
  21. To Molly21What though the bow must be restrung—
  22. To Clara22The nearest ones it seems to me
  23. Recompense23My life divides in equal parts,
  24. The Hickory Tree24O Golden Hickory leaves!
  25. My Mother’s Voice25How lovely was my Mother’s voice,
  26. Whisper Once Again the Story O’er26When the aspen leaf has fallen
  27. To My WifeBertha Brownell Belt
  28. To Bertha27Along the changing road of life
  29. Dependency28Oft have we seen some trellis firm and strong
  30. Love’s Climate29In Arctic zone, mid snow and ice,
  31. Delinquency30The saints of old did point the way,
  32. To a Jeweled Necklace31Ah, jeweled necklace, with what delight
  33. To My Lady’s Stocking32Stocking! I envy you your world of fun,
  34. On Christmas Morn33On Christmas morn, mid din and stew,
  35. The Lost Jewel34O Taj Mahal, thou gem of ages,
  36. You Are Not Here35In your garden here I rest.
  37. An Ode to Solitude36Come my dear,
  38. Everlasting37The first rose of summer I bring unto thee,
  39. To My Wife38I thought when you had reached high noon,
  40. On Your Fiftieth Birthday39This morning I beheld your face
  41. To Bertha40Put this in the Soul’s Archive,

In the order they appear in the book. Numbers show each poem’s place in the collection, not its printed page.