Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, MAKING A CHAMPION, by HENRY E. HORNE


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

MAKING A CHAMPION, by                    
First Line: While bill was sitting by the door
Last Line: A post for fifty pound.
Subject(s): Drinks & Drinking; Pride; Wine; Self-esteem; Self-respect


WHILE Bill was sitting by the door
Recovering from a spree,
The bookie came and looked him o'er
And said, "Yer used to be
A smart man, Dad, I reckon, for
You've got the build," said he.

The old man leaned against the wall,
Too woebegone for pride,
And as he let his eyelids fall
And brushed the tears aside,
"I never was no good at all
For nothin'," he replied.

"Well, s'elp me," said the bookie, "let
Me shake your hand, and say
That you're the first old man I've met
Who wasn't in his day
A champion—take this and wet
Your whistle anyway."

That ancient man, who in the past
Had never known renown,
He staggered to the bar, and cast
Upon it half a crown,
Five times he mentioned "rum"—as fast
As he could drink it down.

And then he sallied forth once more,
And threw upon the ground
The battered hat and coat he wore,
And challenged all around
To fight, or ride, or shear, or bore
A post for fifty pound.





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