Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, BUTCHER JOHN, by IRENE WAAGE



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

BUTCHER JOHN, by                    
First Line: They call him butcher john, strange name for him
Last Line: Before he married shrewish hannah bent.
Subject(s): Butchers


They call him Butcher John, strange name for him,
So shy he finds it difficult to greet
The housewives as he saws and cuts their meat.
They like him though; he's always clean and trim
In starched white coat. His hands are strong and slim
And deftly wrap a package firm and neat
For baskets women carry down the street;
His hair is gray, his eyes are growing dim.

An ear that hears the distant siren's song,
Slim fingers wooing tears and notes of glee
Upon an old and battered instrument;
That is Butcher John at night...It was long
Ago he wrote his famous symphony,
Before he married shrewish Hannah Bent.





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