free-verse16 lines
Echo
by Walter de la Mare"Who called?" I said, and the words
Through the whispering glades,
Hither, thither, baffled the birds -
"Who called? Who called?"
The leafy boughs on high
Hissed in the sun;
The dark air carried my cry
Faintingly on:
Eyes in the green, in the shade,
In the motionless brake,
Voices that said what I said,
For mockery's sake:
"Who cares?" I bawled through my tears;
The wind fell low:
In the silence, "Who cares? who cares?"
Wailed to and fro.