Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE LIFE OF RILEY, by BERTON BRALEY



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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE LIFE OF RILEY, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Oh, bradypod arboreal
Last Line: Oh, soporific sloth!
Subject(s): Life


Oh, bradypod arboreal,
How happy is thy life!
A drowsy, placid story, all
Devoid of stress and strife;
If I could just arrange with thee
I would be nothing loth
To make a fair exchange with thee,
Oh, gentle two-toed sloth!

I weary of activity,
Of tumult and of town,
I yearn for thy passivity
While hanging upside down.
Thou frettest not nor worriest
And mid the leafy growth
There's naught for which thou hurriest,
Oh, lazy two-toed sloth!

No clock at dawn awaketh thee,
Thou sleepest on and on,
No cost of living maketh thee
Distracted, pale, and wan;
Such troubles—thou dost ban 'em all;
Thou art, I take my oath,
An enviable animal,
Oh, drowsy two-toed sloth!

Thou eatest when it pleaseth thee,
Thou sleepest in content,
No landlord ever squeezeth thee
Or jerketh up thy rent.
Say, isn't there up there with thee
A space to park us both?
Thy torpor I would share with thee,
Oh, soporific sloth!





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