Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, A SONG OF SUMMER, by RICHARD KENDALL MUNKITTRICK


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

A SONG OF SUMMER, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Oh, the swish and the swash of the blue summer sea
Last Line: To the fish-ball's twin sister, the fragrant fried clam.
Subject(s): Mermaids & Mermen; Music & Musicians; Singing & Singers; Summer; Symphonies; Concerts


OH, the swish and the swash of the blue summer sea
Is the music of music that ripples through me.
Oh, I list to its saline soblet
As the blue gulls about me skim,
And I'm certain my mental goblet
Is full to the fragile brim,
As I flounder about on the crest of the wave
While it rolls o'er the mermaiden's musical cave.

Oh, the wave with the symphony swirl on it,
And the glamour of glittering pearl on it,
And the tresses of red
All attached to the head
Of the lithe Summer, blithe Summer girl on it!

Oh, the cloudland I note
As I tumble and toss
On the billow afloat
Like the swift albatross;
On a fairyland shore
With red lilies abeam,
Amid Houris galore
Do I linger and dream
Of the bough with the blossom of pink on it,
Of the twig with the gay bobolink on it,
And a fair, witching face,
With its dimples of grace
And the bar with ripe rosy drink on it.

Oh, these are the visions that people my brain
As I turn somersaults in the riotous sea,
As I caper about on the wind-rippled main,
While I duck 'neath the shaft of the swift stingaree.

O, I think of the city's sizzle
And the roast, and the fry, and the frizzle,
With not a cool raindrop to drizzle;
Where the gin fizz is now a gin fizzle.

Aloft upon the breaker
I lose all sense of care
While I'm thumping,
And a-bumping
Most serenely here and there.
Out of happy dreams a waker
From the deep I now emerge,

And I listen to the rumpty
Tumpty tumpty
Of the surge.
And I make a line instanter
For the arabesque decanter.
Yes, I fly on a straight Indian arrow line,
On a bee line, and not on a sparrow line;
And I gather the drink
From the plump, peachy pink
Little hand of my own little Caroline.

And it's then that I fly, like a gull, fancy free,
To the table where glimmers the gem of the sea.
Oh, it's there, with a heart full of joy, I salaam
To the fish-ball's twin sister, the fragrant fried clam.





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