Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, AN IMPROMPTU ON ROLLER SKATES, by JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

AN IMPROMPTU ON ROLLER SKATES, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Rumble, tumble, growl and grate!
Last Line: On your glittering vertebrae!
Alternate Author Name(s): Johnson Of Boone, Benj. F.
Subject(s): Skating & Skaters; Sports


RUMBLE, tumble, growl and grate!
Skip, and trip, and gravitate!
Lunge, and plunge, and thrash the planks
With your blameless, shameless shanks:
In excruciating pain,
Stand upon your head again,
And, uncoiling kink by kink,
Kick the roof out of the rink!

In derisive bursts of mirth,
Drop ka-whop and jar the earth!
Jolt your lungs down in your socks,
Oh! tempestuous equinox
Of dismembered legs and arms!
Strew your ways with wild alarms;
Fameward skoot and ricochet
On your glittering vertebrae!





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