Our Pote

 A pote is sure a goofy guy;
He ain't got guts like you or I
 To tell the score;
He ain't goy gumption 'nuff to know
The game of life's to get the dough,
 Then get some more.
Take Brother Bill, he used to be
The big shot of the family,
 The first at school;
But since about a year ago,
Through readin' Longfeller and Poe,
 He's most a fool.

He mopes around with dimwit stare;
You might as well jest not be there,
 The way he looks;
You'd think he shuns the human race,
The how he buries down his face
 In highbrow books.
I've seen him stand for near an hour,
Jest starin' at a simple flower -
 Sich waste o' time;
The scribblin' on an envelope . . .
Why, most of all his silly dope
 Don't even rhyme.

Now Brother's Jim's an engineer,
And Brother Tim's a bank cashier,
 While I keep store;
Yet Bill, the brightest of the flock,
Might be a lawyer or a doc,
 And then some more.
But no, he moons and loafs about,
As if he tried to figger out
 Why skies are blue;
Instead o' gittin' down to grips
Wi' life an' stackin' up the chips
 Like me an' you.

* * * * * * * * * *

Well, since them final lines I wrote,
We're mournin' for our Brother Pote:
 Bill crossed the sea
And solved his problem with the beat,
For now he lies in peace and rest
 In Normandie.
He died the bravest of the brave,
And here I'm standin' by his grave
 So far from home;
With just a wooden cross to tell
How in the blaze of battle hell
As gloriously there he fell -
 Bill wrote his "pome".

Form: Narrative Comments

Comments About This Poem

Share your interpretation, favorite passage, or thoughts about this famous poem. Please provide an in-depth and meaningful comment.

  • What do you think the poet was trying to say?
  • Which line had the biggest impact on you?
  • How does this poem relate to modern life?
  • What literary devices did you notice?
No comments have been posted yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.
Get a Premium Membership
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Diverse Voices: The Poetry of Human Rights and the Pursuit of Peace