Ellis Parker Butler Poems

She plucked a blossom fair to see;
Upon my coat I let her pin it;
And thus we stood beneath the tree
A minute.
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To be a great musician you must be a man of moods,
You have to be, to understand sonatas and etudes.
To execute pianos and to fiddle with success,
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When first we met she seemed so white
I feared her;
As one might near a spirit bright
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In our dainty little kitchen,
Where my aproned wife is queen
Over all the tin-pan people,
In a realm exceeding clean,
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Listen, ladies, while I sing
The ballad of John Henry King.

John Henry was a bachelor,
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Whene’er I feed the barnyard folk
My gentle soul is vexed;
My sensibilities are torn
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A Scotchman whose name was Isbister
Had a maiden giraffe he called 'sister'
When she said 'Oh, be mine,
Be my sweet Valentine!'
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Just as the sun was setting
Back of the Western hills
Grandfather stood by the window
Eating the last of his pills.
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1775

Said Congress to George Washington:
"To set this country free,
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When young, in tones quite positive
I said, "The world shall see
That I can keep myself from sin;
A good man I will be."
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