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KING CHARLES' PIPE (TO MY FATHER) by ELEANOR A. FAY

First Line: I THINK, MY DEAR, I'LL SMOKE KING CHARLES TONIGHT.'
Last Line: THE MEERSCHAUM MAIDEN SERVED HER MASTERS WELL.
Subject(s): SMOKING; TOBACCO; PIPES; CIGARS; CIGARETTES;

"I think, my dear, I'll smoke King Charles tonight."
And then I knew his gentle, kindly soul
Had need of quiet thought and rest. He'd light
The old beloved pipe whose sepia bowl
Would warm and vivify a carved mermaid
To lead, from out his books of ancient Greece,
Heroes of Homer's wars, a long parade
That marched before his eyes. So he found peace.
This noble, healing pipe had been a king's,
Had soothed his weary mind in times of strife.
With outstretched arms the siren cast a spell
That wove dear dreams beneath the blue smoke rings.
But are not dreams the best part of man's life?
The meerschaum maiden served her masters well.



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