Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE SECOND CONCESSION OF DEER, by WILLIAM WYE SMITH


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE SECOND CONCESSION OF DEER, by                    
First Line: John tompkins lived in a house of logs
Last Line: Of his own domain in deer.
Subject(s): Change; Family Life; Houses; Old Age; Relatives


John Tompkins lived in a house of logs,
On the second concession of Deer;
The front was logs, all straight and sound—
The gable was logs, all tight and round—
The roof was logs, so firmly bound—
And the floor was logs, all down to the ground—
The warmest house in Deer.

And John, to my mind, was a log himself,
On the second concession of Deer;—
None of your birch, with bark of buff—
Nor basswood, weak and watery stuff—
But he was hickory, true and tough,
And only his outside bark was rough;—
The grandest old man in Deer!

But John had lived too long, it seemed,
On the second concession of Deer!
For his daughters took up the governing rein,
With a fine brick house on the old domain,
All papered, and painted with satinwood stain,
Carpeted stairs, and best ingrain—
The finest house in Deer!

Poor John, it was sad to see him now,
On the second concession of Deer!
When he came in from his weary work,
To strip off his shoes like a heathen Turk,—
Or out of the company's way to lurk,
And ply in the shanty his knife and fork—
The times were turned in Deer!

But John was hickory to the last,
On the second concession of Deer!
And out on the river-end of his lot
He laid up the logs in a cosy spot,
And self and wife took up with a cot,
And the great brick house might swim or not—
He was done with the pride of Deer!

But the great house could not go at all,
On the second concession of Deer;
'Twas mother no more, to wash or bake,
Nor father the gallants' steeds to take—
From the kitchen no more came pie nor cake—
And even their butter they'd first to make!—
There were lessons to learn in Deer!

And the lesson they learned a year or more,
On the second concession of Deer!
Then the girls got back the brave old pair—
And gave the mother her easy chair—
She told them how, and they did their share—
And John the honours once more did wear
Of his own domain in Deer.





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