Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE FURNACE DOOR, by EDGAR ALBERT GUEST Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: My father is a peaceful man Last Line: "and -- er -- swear a little bit." Alternate Author Name(s): Guest, Eddie Subject(s): Furnaces; Kilns | ||||||||
My father is a peaceful man; He tries in every way he can To live a life of gentleness And patience all the while. He says that needless fretting's vain, That it's absurd to be profane, That nearly every wrong can be Adjusted with a smile. Yet try no matter how he will, There's one thing that annoys him still, One thing that robs him of his calm And leaves him very sore; He cannot keep his self-control When with a shovel full of coal He misses where it's headed for, And hits the furnace door. He measures with a careful eye The space for which he's soon to try, Then grabs his trusty shovel up And loads it in the bin, Then turns and with a healthy lunge, That's two parts swing and two parts plunge, He lets go at the furnace fire, Convinced it will go in! And then we hear a sudden smack, The cellar air turns blue and black; Above the rattle of the coal We hear his awful roar. From dreadful language upward hissed We know that father's aim has missed, And that his shovel full of coal Went up against the door. The minister was here one day For supper, and Pa went away To fix the furnace fire, and soon We heard that awful roar. And through the furnace pipes there came Hot words that made Ma blush for shame. "It strikes me," said the minister, "He hit the furnace door." Ma turned away and hung her head; "I'm so ashamed," was all she said. And then the minister replied: "Don't worry. I admit That when I hit the furnace door, And spill the coal upon the floor, I quite forget the cloth I wear And -- er -- swear a little bit." | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE KILN by EDMUND CHARLES BLUNDEN THE BOOK OF THE DEAD: ALLOY by MURIEL RUKEYSER ELEGY WRITTEN IN A COUNTRY COAL-BIN by CHRISTOPHER DARLINGTON MORLEY THE FURNACE by CHRISTOPHER DARLINGTON MORLEY THE BLACKSMITH by WILLIAM WATSON HOME (2) by EDGAR ALBERT GUEST IT COULDN'T BE DONE by EDGAR ALBERT GUEST |
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