Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, WHO TOLD?, by ISABEL ECCLESTONE MACKAY


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

WHO TOLD?, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Our teacher says there aren't fairies now
Last Line: "a little fairy whispered it,"" she said."
Subject(s): Boys; Children; Schools; Teaching & Teachers; Childhood; Students


OUR teacher says there aren't fairies now,
Nor ever was—except in silly talk.
She wouldn't b'lieve that yesterday I saw
A really one down by the river walk!

I did tho', and his eyes were green as green,
He swung (he swang, I mean), upon a limb,
And every swing he took he winked at me,
And I—well, I just up and winked at him!

Said he, "There was a boy who ran away
From school-recess this morning; are you he?"
He looked so nice and jolly that I thought
He wanted to be friends and said, "I be."

"And can you be the lad I heard about
Who carved a pumpkin-head and made a ghost,
To scare your little sister into fits?"
I said, "She always was more skeered than most."

"And did you tell your cousin Julia Ann,
To make her cry, that Santa Claus was dead?"
You bet I wasn't goin' to own to that,
"Aw now, you go an' chase yourself!" I said.

His twinkly eyes got all so sparkly green,
He grinned the widest grin I ever saw.
"I see," he chuckled. "You're a bad, bad boy,
I think, Horatius Jones, I'll tell your Maw!"

Now what d'ye think of that? When I went in,
Maw, she just sent me straight away to bed—
For playing truant and for scaring girls!—
"A little fairy whispered it," she said.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net