Ruth Molloy wrote this poem at the age of ten. She speaks of a girl who fell in love with a woodland god and kissed him. The girl who falls love with nature and breaks Ruth’s heart in her poem: "She kissed the heart of many a flower / But she broke the heart of me." Ruth’s heart is broken because the girl is only a fantasy and runs away with nature, leaving her alone with the reality in which she lives: "But she ran away with a woodland god / And left me here alone." This perspective is not surprising in that children often find solace in their fairytales.
"A Woodland Plaint"
Oh, her hair was gold and her eyes were gold
She fell in love with the woodland god
And her body was sweet and slim;
And gave her lips to him.
She sang love words to the white moon,
She whispered her love to the sea,
She kissed the heart of many a flower
But she broke the heart of me.
She loved the touch of the plumaged birds,
She lay in the arms of trees;
She laughed in joy with the woodland folk
And she danced with the evening breeze.
She worshiped the stars in the heavens high,
And sobbed when the wind made moan,
But she ran away with the woodland god
And left me here alone.
Exhibit by University of Pennsylvania students and faculty, 2009