Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE LAW OF ADJUSTMENT, by ROBERT EMMET SHERWOOD


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE LAW OF ADJUSTMENT, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Said the man with the hoe to the man with the pick
Last Line: Saw his grocery bill -- and then struck for more pay.
Subject(s): Labor & Laborers; Labor Unions; Work; Workers


Said the Man with the Hoe to the Man with the Pick:
"I may be a most unintelligent hick,
But, frankly, I envy the money you've made,
For the less that you labor, the more you are paid.
I'd like to know how you accomplish the trick,"
Said the Man with the Hoe to the Man with the Pick.

Said the Man with the Pick to the Man with the Hoe:
"The way of the toiler is tedious and slow.
Just close up your farm till the middleman begs --
He'll soon pay two dollars a dozen for eggs;
For prices go up when production gets low,"
Said the Man with the Pick to the Man with the Hoe.

So the Man with the Hoe said, "I'm through with fatigue,"
And proceeded to join the Non-Partisan League;
And the obdurate middleman yielded at length --
For it seems that in union there sometimes is strength.
And the Man with the Pick, on the following day,
Saw his grocery bill -- and then struck for more pay.





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