Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, TRANSPOSITION, by AGNES MOORE FRYBERGER


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

TRANSPOSITION, by                    
First Line: I forget his name; but, oh, his smile
Last Line: And put the cobbler in the music store?
Subject(s): Human Behavior; Retail Trade; Shoes; Conduct Of Life; Human Nature; Stores; Shops; Shopkeepers; Boots; Sneakers; Shoemakers


I forget his name; but, oh, his smile
One can't forget. He shows the records
In a music store; and there's a smile
That always makes me want his records...
Somehow, I never care to shop
In other places because that smile is not
Thrown in with other goods.

I'm weak on names, but faces
And all that's back of them
Strike pretty deep.

I took a pair of shoes
Down to the cobbler's --
The nearest shop it was --
And, sitting, humped upon his bench,
A workman waxed and drew black threads
Through ugly leather...
His face had never had a smile;
Or, if it had, I'd say it was
Before he took to handling dirty shoes.
He looked a grouch; and when he spoke,
His voice had nothing but
A grouchy sound...
He looked and acted mad at folks.
Perhaps he does not like to work
On ugly shoes.

I wonder how it would be
If one could get the smile
Mixed up with worn-out shoes
And put the cobbler in the music store?





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