A Fortunate Meeting Poem by Robert Winthrop

(Ilasco and Monkey Run were two small villages south of Hannibal where workers at the cement plant lived.)

My folks met in Ilasco or maybe Monkey Run.
I've heard so many stories that I'm not sure just which one.
My dad came from Rhode Island and my mom from Illinois,
But they met in Ilasco, this girl and this boy.
And from this meeting came eight kids, three girls and five boys.
And you can bet that in our house there was a lot of noise.
And there was lots of sadness too, but so much love and joy.
My dad came from Rhode Island and my mom from Illinois.