Login
|
Join PoetrySoup
Home
Submit Poems
Login
Sign Up
Member Home
My Poems
My Quotes
My Profile & Settings
My Inboxes
My Outboxes
Soup Mail
Contest Results/Status
Contests
Poems
Poets
Famous Poems
Famous Poets
Dictionary
Types of Poems
Quotes
Short Stories
Articles
Forum
Blogs
Poem of the Day
New Poems
Resources
Syllable Counter
Anthology
Grammar Check
Greeting Card Maker
Classifieds
Member Area
Member Home
My Profile and Settings
My Poems
My Quotes
My Short Stories
My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder
Soup Social
Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us
Member Poems
Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Random
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread
Member Poets
Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest
Famous Poems
Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100
Famous Poets
Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War
Poetry Resources
Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetics
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
Store
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter
Email Poem
Your IP Address: 3.145.63.136
From Email:
Required
Email Address Not Valid.
To Email:
Email Address Not Valid.
Required
Subject
Required
Personal Note:
Poem Title:
Poem
I sing of the decline of Henry Clay Who loved a white girl of uncommon size. Although a small man in a little way, He had in him some seed of enterprise. Each day he caught the seven-thirty train To work, watered his garden after tea, Took an umbrella if it looked like rain A nd was remarkably like you or me. He had his hair cut once a fortnight, tried Not to forget the birthday of his wife, And might have lived unnoticed till he died Had not ambition entered Henry's life. He met her in the lounge of an hotel - A most unusual place for him to go - But there he was and there she was as well Sitting alone. He ordered beers for two. She was so large a girl that when they came He gave the waiter twice the usual tip. She smiled without surprise, told him her name, And as the name trembled on Henry's lip, His parched soul, swelling like a desert root, Broke out its delicate dream upon the air; The mountains shook with earthquake under foot; An angel seized him suddenly by the hair; The sky was shrill with peril as he passed; A hurricane crushed his senses with its din; The wildfire crackled up his reeling mast; The trumpet of a maelstrom sucked hirn in; The desert shrivelled and burnt off his feet; His bones and buttons an enormous snake Vomited up; still in the shimmering heat The pygmies showed him their forbidden lake And then transfixed him with their poison darts; He married six black virgins in a bunch, Who, when they had drawn out his manly parts, Stewed him and ate him lovingly for lunch. Adventure opened wide its grisly jaws; Henry looked in and knew the Hero's doom. The huge white girl drank on without a pause And, just at closing time, she asked him home. The tram they took was full of Roaring Boys Announcing the world's ruin and Judgment Day; The sky blared with its grand orchestral voice The Gotterdammerung of Henry Clay. But in her quiet room they were alone. There, towering over Henry by a head, She stood and took her clothes off one by one, And then she stretched herself upon the bed. Her bulk of beauty, her stupendous grace Challenged the lion heart in his puny dust. Proudly his Moment looked him in the face: He rose to meet it as a hero must; Climbed the white mountain of unravished snow, Planted his tiny flag upon the peak. The smooth drifts, scarcely breathing, lay below. She did not take the trouble to smile or speak. And afterwards, it may have been in play, The enormous girl rolled over and squashed him flat; And, as she could not send him home that way, Used him thereafter as a bedside mat. Speaking at large, I will say this of her: S he did not spare expense to make him nice. Tanned on both sides and neatly edged with fur, The job would have been cheap at any price. And when, in winter, getting out of bed, Her large soft feet pressed warmly on the skin, The two glass eyes would sparkle in his head, The jaws extend their papier-mache grin. Good people, for the soul of Henry Clay Offer your prayers, and view his destiny! He was the Hero of our Time. He may With any luck, one day, be you or me.
Type the characters you see in the picture
Required