Leisure

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

-- W.H. Davies

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The Kitchen

In the kitchen,
After the aimless

Chatter of the plates,
The murmur of the stoves,

The chuckles of the water pipes,
And the sharp exchanges

Of the knives, forks, and spoons,
Comes the serious quiet

When the sink slowly clears its throat,
And you can hear the occasional rumble

Of the refrigerator’s tummy
As it digests the cold.

How are these poems different?