Slickens Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BBCBD E F F GAH I JDKLMNO P QQQR I Q R Q R QR R STURVWIC P RXC R R I R R RRC R DAYZA2B2C2C2 P BBBD2BBD2 I E2F2C2C2 P G2G2D R G2 R G2 I D R H2C2C2RC2I2 G2 RG2C R J2 I K2 G2 BG2E2G2G2CBC2C2RC2G2 C2BZL2BBRJ2G2 R C2C2 I M2RM2R R RR G2 G2G2G2G2C2C2BBN2N2 P CG2CG2BBO2O2G2G2G2 G2 P2G2C2C2BQ2C2R2S2G2 G2 N2 R G2B I C2G2G2 R C2G2BRBR2 G2 C2BG2A G2 RB G2 R

DRAMATIS PERSONAEA
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HAYSEED a GrangerB
NOZZLE a MinerB
RINGDIVVY a StatesmanC
FEEGOBBLE a LawyerB
JUNKET a CommitteeD
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Scene Yuba DamE
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Feegobble Ringdivvy NozzleF
-
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NOZZLEF
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My friends since ' I have pursuedG
The evil tenor of my watery wayA
Removing hills as by an act of faithH
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RINGDIVVYI
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Just so the steadfast faith of those who holdJ
In foreign lands beyond the Eastern seaD
The shares in your concern a simple blindK
Unreasoning belief in dividendsL
Still stimulated by assessments whichM
When the skies fall ensnaring all the larksN
Will bring no doubt a very great returnO
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ALL singingP
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O the beautiful assessmentQ
The exquisite assessmentQ
The regular assessmentQ
That makes the water flowR
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RINGDIVVYI
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The rascally assessmentQ
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FEEGOBBLER
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The murderous assessmentQ
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NOZZLER
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The glorious assessmentQ
That makes my mare to goR
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FEEGOBBLER
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But Nozzle you I think were on the pointS
Of making a remark about some rightsT
Some certain vested rights you have acquiredU
By long immunity for still the lawR
Holds that if one do evil undisturbedV
His right to do so ripens with the yearsW
And one may be a villain long enoughI
To make himself an honest gentlemanC
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ALL singingP
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Hail holy lawR
The soul with aweX
Bows to thy dispensationC
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NOZZLER
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It breaks my jawR
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RINGDIVVYI
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It qualms my mawR
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FEEGOBBLER
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It feeds my jawR
It crams my mawR
It is my soul's salvationC
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NOZZLER
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Why yes I've floated mountains to the seaD
For lo these many years though some they sayA
Do strand themselves along the bottom landsY
And cover up a village here and thereZ
And here and there a ranch 'Tis said indeedA2
The granger with his female and his youngB2
Do not infrequently go to the dickensC2
By premature burial in slickensC2
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ALL singingP
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Could slickens foreverB
Choke up the riverB
And slime's endeavorB
Be tried on grainD2
How small the measureB
Of granger's treasureB
How keen his painD2
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RINGDIVVYI
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'A consummation devoutly to be wished '-
These rascal grangers would long since have beenE2
Submerged in slimes to the last man of themF2
But for the fact that all their wicked tribesC2
Affect our legislation with their bribesC2
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ALL singingP
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O bribery's greatG2
'Tis a pillar of StateG2
And the people they are freeD
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FEEGOBBLER
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It smashes my slateG2
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NOZZLER
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It is thievery straightG2
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RINGDIVVYI
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But it's been the making of meD
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NOZZLER
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I judge by certain shrewd sensations hereH2
In these callosities I call my thumbsC2
thrilling sense as of ten thousand pinsC2
Red hot and penetrant transpiercing allR
The cuticle and tickling through the nervesC2
That some malign and awful thing draws nearI2
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Enter HayseedG2
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Good Lord here are the ghosts and spooks of allR
The grangers I have decently interredG2
Rolled into oneC
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FEEGOBBLER
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Plead phantomJ2
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RINGDIVVYI
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You've the floorK2
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HAYSEEDG2
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From the margin of the riverB
Bitter Creek they sometimes call itG2
Where I cherished once the pumpkinE2
And the summer squash promotedG2
Harvested the sweet potatoG2
Dallied with the fatal melonC
And subdued the fierce cucumberB
I've been driven by the slickensC2
Driven by the slimes and tailingsC2
All my family my PollyR
Ann and all my sons and daughtersC2
Dog and baby both includedG2
All were swamped in seas of slickensC2
Buried fifty fathoms underB
Where they lie prepared to play theirZ
Gentle prank on geologicL2
Gents that shall exhume them laterB
In the dim and distant futureB
Taking them for melancholyR
Relics antedating AdamJ2
I alone got up and dustedG2
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NOZZLER
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Avaunt you horrid and infernal cussC2
What dire distress have you prepared for usC2
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RINGDIVVYI
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Were I a buzzard stooping from the skyM2
My craw with filth to fillR
Into your honorable body IM2
Would introduce a billR
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FEEGOBBLER
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Defendant hence or by the gods I'll brain theeR
Unless you saved some turneps to retain meR
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HAYSEEDG2
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As I was saying I got up and dustedG2
My ranch a graveyard and my business bustedG2
But hearing that a fellow from the CityG2
Who calls himself a Citizens' CommitteeG2
Was coming up to play the very dickensC2
With those who cover up our farms with slickensC2
And make himself unless I am in errorB
To all such miscreants a holy terrorB
I thought if I would join the dialogueN2
I maybe might get payment for my dogN2
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ALL SingingP
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O the dog is the head of CreationC
Prime work of the Master's handG2
He hasn't a known occupationC
Yet lives on the fat of the landG2
Adipose indolent sleek and orbicularB
Sun soaken door matted cross and particularB
Men women children all coddle and wait on himO2
Then accidentally shutting the gate on himO2
Miss from their calves ever after the rifted outG2
Mouthful of tendons that doggy has lifted outG2
Enter JunketG2
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JUNKETG2
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Well met my hearties I must trouble youP2
Jointly and severally to provideG2
A comfortable carriage with relaysC2
Of hardy horses This Committee meansC2
To move in state about the country hereB
I shall expect at every place I stopQ2
Good beds of course and everything that's niceC2
With bountiful repast of meat and wineR2
For this Committee comes to sea and markS2
And inwardly digestG2
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HAYSEEDG2
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Digest my dogN2
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NOZZLER
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First square my claim for damages the goldG2
Escaping with the slickens keeps me poorB
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RINGDIVVYI
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I merely would remark that if you'd greaseC2
My itching palm it would more glibly glideG2
Into the public pocketG2
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FEEGOBBLER
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Sir the wheelsC2
Of justice move but slowly till they're oiledG2
I have some certain writs and warrants hereB
Prepared against your advent You recallR
The tale of Zaccheus who did climb a treeB
And Jesus said 'Come down'R2
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JUNKETG2
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Why bless your soulsC2
I've got no money I but came to seeB
What all this noisy babble is aboutG2
Make a report and file the same awayA
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NOZZLE RINGDIVVY FEEGOBBLE HAYSEEDG2
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How'll that help us Reports are not our styleR
Of provenderB
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JUNKETG2
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Well you can gnaw the fileR

Ambrose Bierce



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