Classic and Contemporary Poetry
FATHER HUCKLEBERRY AND THE AEROPLANE, by WILLIAM STEWARD GORDON First Line: Well, 'mandy, I got home alive Last Line: And a little bigger load. Subject(s): Clergy; Travel; West (u.s.); Priests; Rabbis; Ministers; Bishops; Journeys; Trips; Southwest; Pacific States | ||||||||
Well, 'Mandy, I got home alive, But it's Providence, I guess, For Baldy run the last two miles Like the "Limited Express." I knew he seemed to feel his oats, And still could jump a fence, But I supposed his fourteen years Had given him some sense. He got his Arab ginger up At Mulkey's water trough, And he's never liked that motor car Since they took the horses off. And then the wheels and auto-beels Were a-paintin' up the town, Till when I crossed them depot tracks I couldn't hold him down. I had that anxious feelin', Like the dove in Noah's ark, But I seemed to keep my bearin' Till I passed that Goltra Park. When suddently I heard a noise That nearly struck me blind, And saw a big new-fangled thing With a whirl-a-gig behind. 'Twas like a Salem Easter hat, With its double deck and riggin', And its yards of wire and canvas All a-jumpin' and a-jiggin'. And settin' on the runnin' gear A-trailin' o'er the trees, Was a man a-ridin' on it As happy as you please. I thought some "Open River" craft Had blown up from resistance, And tried a-floatin' overland To shorten up the distance. It was puffin' at its engine, And a-flappin' of its wings, Like Old Nick himself was flyin' And a lot o' other things. Then it kind o' dawned upon me, Since it didn't touch the ground, It must be Burkhart's air machine, A-aviatin' 'round. Of course, from force of habit, I pulled and hollered, Whoa! But it only made him hump himself, And you ought to see him go! The buckboard tetered back and forth On a single wheel or two, And only hit the highest bumps, Like the scorchin' autos do. His tail streamed like the comet's tail, His ears were laid down tight Why, no one needs an air machine When Baldy gets scared right. So you can have Darius Green, If you keep him out the road, But I prefer the good old ground, And a little bigger load. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...WESTERN WAGONS by STEPHEN VINCENT BENET DRIVING WEST IN 1970 by ROBERT BLY IN THE HELLGATE WIND by MADELINE DEFREES A PERIOD PORTRAIT OF SYMPATHY by EDWARD DORN ASSORTED COMPLIMENTS by EDWARD DORN AT THE COWBOY PANEL by EDWARD DORN A HUSTLE FOR THE FAIR by WILLIAM STEWARD GORDON |
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