James Whitcomb Riley Amuses Me
I suppose it is surprising
And I shouldn't let you know it,
I've a hankering for the poetry
Of that old time Hoosier poet.
Perhaps you think his poems with
Their easy, rustic flavor
Are not poetic offerings
Sophisticates would savor.
"Little Orphant Annie"
Is a favorite of mine
Which I have read so often that
I've memorized each line.
"When the frost is on the punkin
And the fodder's in the shock",
I can almost hear the gobble
Of that strutting turkey cock.
Rilely's poems were loved by plainer folks
And scorned by the elite,
But he was the nicest fellow that
You'd ever want to meet.
There is something about his dialect
As it falls upon my ear
That is so endearing to me
That it almost makes me tear.
He was Indiana Hoosier Deutsch,
The same as my sweet dad.
His poems are composed of fractured words
That Daddy's stories had.
I've read the classics and I have
Their books throughout the house,
But only in Riley's have I found
A poem that mentions "souse".
That word brings back fond memories
Of many a butchering day
When Daddy made souse from the pig parts
Most folks would throw away.
When my days are dark and dreary
And I'm feeling under par
I pick up the tattered book of poems
By my favorite poet, JWR.
Inspired by Amy Green's contest "Wow me with inspiration". won hm
Copyright © Joyce Johnson | Year Posted 2010
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