Where am I going? I don’t quite know.
Down to the stream where the king-cups grow —
Up on the hill where the pine-trees blow —
Anywhere, anywhere. I don’t know.
If you were a bird, and lived on high,
You’d lean on the wind when the wind came by,
You’d say to the wind when it took you away:
“That’s where I wanted to go today!”
Where am I going? I don’t quite know.
What does it matter where people go?
Down to the wood where the blue-bells grow —
Anywhere, anywhere. I don’t know.~ Excerpted from A. A. Milne’s poem ‘Spring Morning’
Arnold Schwartzenegger read this poem as he put his class down for a nap in the movie Kindergarden Cop. Putting children down for a nap is seldom easy, but these words are so soothing, they might even put an adult to rest… especially if they were read by Arnold’s strong yet gentle voice.
Milne, who became known for his stories of Winnie the Pooh, wrote another poem ‘Puppy and I’ which has a similar theme. In it he asked rabbits he had met on the road where they were going in their brown fur coats, which made me think of the hare I saw along the trail this morning.
In trying so hard to figure out where we’re going, sometimes we miss the wonders of the world around us, where we are, right now. Sometimes it’s just enough to go… outdoors.
Flandrum Hill 
Life is full of surprises. I never expected to read a post that would combine Arnold and Pooh but there you go. The hare is completely irresistible.
Gerry, it’s those surprises that keep the wonder alive. Yes the hare is irresistible in its fluffy brown fur coat. It certainly needed it this morning as it was (and still is) quite a bit cooler than we’ve had it lately.
I know, Gerry, I was thinking the exact same thing – a post that combines Arnie and Pooh… it was so lovingly written, thank you, Amy. I feel so calm and soothed now.
Reggie, I’m glad you found it calming. Now you can curl up and take a nap 🙂
That is a lovely path through the woods. I want to follow it!
Grace, I’ve been working on creating that path for the past 23 years, clearing dead trees that fall across it and transplanting young ones that spring up on the edges. It’s a work in progress but one that always gives me a good feeling of wandering off into the unknown whenever I walk up it.
I so enjoyed this Amy. It is a rare moment indeed when just going outdoors, into nature, is not enough.
Colleen, that is so true. It’s such a simple solution and yet one that people seldom think of taking.
Love the poem ! and the bunny ! and the path !
Sybil, it is sweet 🙂 I read ‘Now We are Six’ last night and it was wonderful. Thanks for lending it to me.
Simply sweet! I will read it to my boys (:
Jen,
I only put a few stanzas in my post. Here is the complete poem if you’d like to read it to your boys:
Spring Morning
Where am I going? I don’t quite know.
Down to the stream where the king-cups grow —
Up on the hill where the pine-trees blow —
Anywhere, anywhere. I don’t know.
Where am I going? The clouds sail by,
Little ones, baby ones, over the sky.
Where am I going? The shadows pass,
Little ones, baby ones, over the grass.
If you were a cloud, and sailed up there,
You’d sail on water as blue as air,
And you’d see me here in the fields and say:
“Doesn’t the sky look green today?”
Where am I going? The high rooks call:
“It’s awful fun to be born at all.”
Where am I going? The ring-doves coo:
“We do have beautiful things to do.”
If you were a bird, and lived on high,
You’d lean on the wind when the wind came by,
You’d say to the wind when it took you away:
“That’s where I wanted to go today!”
Where am I going? I don’t quite know.
What does it matter where people go?
Down to the wood where the blue-bells grow —
Anywhere, anywhere. I don’t know.
~ A.A.Milne
Sweet poem. Sweet rabbit by the road. One of the exercises we did at a spiritual retreat a decade ago was to let the feet decide where to go next. We weren’t allowed to decide…only the feet knew. It was eye opening.
Kathy, the feet know more than we think they do. Imagine how much the big hind feet of the snowshoe hares must know!
Love the bunny rabbit. “Now We are Six” was my first book of poetry, a gift from my grandparents…
Barbara, I am just now reading ‘Now We are Six’ thanks to a loan from Sybil of a copy her dad gave her mom before she was even born. I hope you still have your copy too.
What a lovely poem so well illustrated by your pictures ! Our world is full of wonders and surprises, that is so true, let’s be present and appreciate each of them. The hare reminded me of a book you may enjoy reading :
“The Year of the Hare” by Finnish author Arto Paasillina. An unusual and good read.
Hi Isabelle,
I looked up the book. If the image on the front cover is in sync with the story, then I’m sure I’d enjoy reading it. Thanks so much for mentioning it. I’m glad you enjoyed the poem and illustrations 🙂