Sand Castles (poetry)

1909

Sand Castles

By Elizabeth Ruggles

At midnight when the moon is bright,
And everybody out of sight,
The beach is filled with little folk,
Who think it a tremendous joke
To occupy the forts so grand
The children fashioned out of sand.
The snails are set on guard, for fear
Some mortal might approach too near.
And then the revelry begins:—
The fishes spread their shining fins,
And, standing upright, glide along
To join the merry-making throng.
The music from the Cricket Band—
By far the best in Fairy Land—
Accompanies the sprightly dance.
And moonbeams, shimmering, enhance
The beauty of the creatures fair,
Who gaily, madly revel there.
But hush! a sound of heavy feet,
And noiselessly, with motions fleet,
The merry dancers disappear,
For Mr. Boogy Man is near.
With one great stride he soon destroys
The scene of many earthly joys,
And when the children come next day,
They'll find their forts all swept away.
But gorgeous new ones soon they'll make
For all the little fairies' sake.

–The Fort Wayne Sentinel, Fort Wayne, IN, Sept. 18, 1909, p. 24.