Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: ROBERT DAVIDSON, by EDGAR LEE MASTERS



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: ROBERT DAVIDSON, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: I grew spiritually fat living off the souls of men
Last Line: It does not devour other acorns.


I GREW spiritually fat living off the souls of men.
If I saw a soul that was strong
I wounded its pride and devoured its strength.
The shelters of friendship knew my cunning,
For where I could steal a friend I did so.
And wherever I could enlarge my power
By undermining ambition, I did so,
Thus to make smooth my own.
And to triumph over other souls,
Just to assert and prove my superior strength,
Was with me a delight,
The keen exhilaration of soul gymnastics.
Devouring souls, I should have lived forever.
But their undigested remains bred in me a deadly nephritis,
With fear, restlessness, sinking spirits,
Hatred, suspicion, vision disturbed.
I collapsed at last with a shriek.
Remember the acorn;
It does not devour other acorns.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...



Home: PoetryExplorer.net