The world is so full of a number of things,

I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

Some of Mr. Stevenson’s poems were the first ones I met in this life; that’s probably why they continue to be important to me. Many are still very relevant today, though at least one is inappropriate in a modern, diverse society – unless it’s used as a springboard for a discussion about changing attitudes (and the need to do more in that area).

Look for Happy Thought, The Swing, My Shadow, and other classic poems in A Child’s Garden of Verses (available in versions illustrated by several well-known artists).