Probably Not - A poem by Ellen P. Allerton

Probably Not.

My ships may come in from the sea,
Laden with wealth untold,
And bringing it all to me^___
Spices, and pearls, and gold,
In many a rich ingot^___
But^___probably not.

The castles I build in Spain,
That a breath so topples o'er,
And which daily I rear again,
May stand, and fall no more^___
By destroying winds forgot^___
But^___probably not.

I may find the shackles of care
That fetter my aching wing,
While I long to cleave the air,
And wildly to soar and sing,
Lifted from off my lot^___
But^___probably not.

The heights to which I aspire^___
I may reach them by and by;
And that which I most desire^___
I may clasp it before I die,
With the longing and pain forgot^___
But^___probably not.

I may find on life's battle field,
Ere the going down of the sun,
A place to lay down my shield,
With the struggle over and done^___
Some peaceful and sheltered spot.^___
But^___probably not.

I may find how, without loss,
I can lay my burdens down;
Some way to elude the cross,
And yet to deserve the crown
Which falls to the conqueror's lot^___
But^___probably not.

^__Ellen P. Allerton.

Walls of Corn and Other Poems
Ellen P. Allerton
(Hiawatha, KS: Harrington Printing Company. 1894)
Pages 235-236