Question

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows:

5No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
10And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

The Doe
1
Beep… beep… BEEP! An arm reaches out and presses the alarm clock’s off button.

2
“Okay, okay, I’m up,” grumbles 15-year-old Maggie.

3
She throws back the blanket and descends the stairs to the kitchen. It’s a Thursday. Earlier in the week, she hopped down the stairs two at a time, like a hare, but today she’s more like a tortoise.

4
As soon as she has some cereal and milk in her favorite bowl, Maggie plunks herself in front of the computer in the living room to check and respond to her e-mail messages. There are 12 new ones since she checked her inbox at nine o’clock last night. She responds to each of them quickly, acknowledging a few silly but funny jokes, and also confirming her intentions to run for president of the student council, play on the basketball team, and help out with an upcoming fundraiser.

5
“Maggie!” her mother says loudly from the adjoining room. From the slightly annoyed tone of her voice, it is clear it probably isn’t the first time she has spoken.

6
“Yes, sorry Mom. I was busy.”

7
“I said, the bus will be here any minute. You better get going.”

8
“Okay, Mom.”

9
Maggie looks down and sees that most of the cereal is still in the bowl, now slightly mushy instead of crunchy and crisp. After hurriedly eating a few more spoonfuls, she empties the bowl and places it in the sink.

10
Just as Maggie is about to pull the heavy oak door shut behind her, her mother speaks to her from the hallway. Her arms are folded, and she is wearing a slightly worried expression.

11
“I love that you’re interested in so many things, Maggie, but sometimes I get a little concerned about you. You’re trying to do too much, don’t you think?”

Answer 1

I see you pasted the poem “Leisure” (W. H. Davies) and the opening of a short story, “The Doe.” What would you like me to do with them? Here are some helpful options — pick one or tell me something else:

1) Short analysis of the poem (theme, devices, tone).
2) Short analysis of the story excerpt (character, setting, conflict, possible directions).
3) Compare and contrast the poem and the story (shared themes, contrasts).
4) Continue the story in the same style (write the next scene/paragraphs).
5) Create reading-comprehension questions / discussion prompts for teaching.
6) Edit the story excerpt for clarity, pacing, or audience level.
7) Summarize both pieces briefly.

Quick observation to help you decide: both pieces deal with busyness vs. noticing the world — the poem directly argues for pausing to appreciate nature; the story places a modern teen (Maggie) in a rushed life, with a parent worried she’s overcommitted. That suggests the story may be set up to explore the same theme in narrative form.

Which option do you want?