Anton Sosnowski Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHGGIJKL HGMNOPCQIIGRSG IGTSUGSIIGIIGGGG IIVIGJJJICGIIW XJIGIIC IJIGGJYSGGGIZA2GGSB2 GGSJGG GC2ID2IGIIG XE2B2SGJIJJIIIF2GB2G GG2H2IIG ISGSSJIISGSGGIDIIGIG IA2IIGCSGSGG IGA2GGI I2F2GGSIGJJJ2G2GGGGG I GB2A2GIA2SIGGJ GSA2K2GGGGD2L2GGT GSA2GTGGGGGGM2GGGN2G GO2SP2JQ2R2GZE2GS2GS 2 GGGGXGGGST2GU2V2GSW2 GGH2GB2B2G GJGGDJ TGJGGGE2X2G JGGJGSY2GG

Anton Sosnowski from the Shakspeare SchoolA
Where he assists the janitor sweeps and dustsB
The day now done sits by a smeared up tableC
Munching coarse bread and drinking beer before himD
The evening paper spread held down or turnedE
By claw like hands covered with shiny scarsF
He broods upon the war news and his fateG
Which keeps him from the war looks up and seesH
His scarred face in the mirror over the wainscotG
His lashless eyes and browless brows and headG
With patches of thin hair And then he muttersI
Hot curses to himself and turns the paperJ
And curses Germany and asks revengeK
For Poland's wrongsL
-
And what is this he seesH
The picture of his ruin and his hateG
Wert Rufus Fox This leader of the barM
Is made the counselor of the city nowN
The city takes gas cars and telephonesO
And runs them for the people So this manP
Grown rich through machinations against the peopleC
Who fought the people all his life beforeQ
Abettor aider thinker for the slickersI
Regraters and forestallers and engrossersI
Is now the friend adviser of the cityG
Which he so balked and thwarted growing richR
Feared noted bowed to for the very treasonS
For which he is so hated yet deferred toG
-
And Anton looks upon the picture readsI
About the great man's ancestry here printedG
And all the great achievements of his lifeT
Once president of the bar associationS
And member of this club and of that clubU
Contributor to charities and artG
A founder of a library a vestrymanS
And Anton looks upon the picture tremblesI
Before the picture's eyes They are the eyesI
Of Innocent the Tenth with crueltyG
And cunning added eyes that see all thingsI
And boulder jaws that crush all things the jawsI
That place themselves at front of drifts are placedG
By that world irony which mocks the goodG
And gives the glory and the victoryG
To strength and greedG
-
Anton Sosnowski looksI
Long at the picture then at his own handsI
And laughs maniacally as he takes the mugV
With both hands like a bird with frozen clawsI
These broken burned off hands which handle breadG
As they were wooden rakes And in a mirrorJ
Beside the table in the wall smeared overJ
With steam from red hots kraut and cookeryJ
Of smoking fats fixed by the dust in blursI
And streaks he sees his own face horribleC
For scars and splotches as of leprosyG
The eyes that have no lashes and no browsI
The bullet head that has no hair the earsI
Burnt off at topW
-
So comes it to this PoleX
Who sees beside the picture of the lawyerJ
The clear cut face of Elenor Murray yesI
She gave her spirit to the war is deadG
Her life is being sifted now But FoxI
Lives for more honors and by honors coversI
His days of evilC
-
Thus Sosnowski broodsI
And lives again that moment of hell when fireJ
Burst like a geyser from a vat where gasI
Had gathered in his ignorance being sentG
To light a drying stove within the vatG
A work not his who was the engineerJ
The gas exploded as he struck the matchY
And like an insect fixed upon a pinS
And held before a flame hands face and bodyG
Were burned and broken as his body shotG
Up and against the brewery wall What nextG
The wearisome and tangled ways of courtsI
With Rufus Fox for foe four trials in allZ
Where juries disagreed who heard the lawA2
Erroneously given by the courtG
At last a verdict favorable and a courtG
Sitting above the forum where he wonS
To say as there's no evidence to showB2
Just how the gas got in the vat SosnowskiG
Must go for life with broken hands unhelpedG
And that the fact alone of gas thereinS
Though naught to show his fault had brought it thereJ
The mere explosion did not speak a faultG
Against the breweryG
-
Out from court he wentG
To use a broom with crumpled hands and lookC2
For life in mirrors at his ghastly faceI
And brood until suspicion grew to truthD2
That Rufus Fox had compassed juries courtsI
And read of Rufus Fox who day by dayG
Was featured in the press for noble deedsI
For Art or Charity for notable dinnersI
Guests travels and what notG
-
So now the PoleX
Reading of Elenor Murray cursed himselfE2
That he could brood and wait for what and growB2
More weak of will for brooding while this womanS
Had gone to war and served and ended itG
Yet he lived on and could not go to warJ
Saw only days of sweeping with these handsI
And every day his face within the mirrorJ
And every afternoon this glass of beerJ
And coarse bread and these thoughtsI
And every day some story to arouseI
His sense of justice how the generousI
Give and pass on and how the selfish liveF2
And gather honors But Sosnowski thoughtG
If I could do a flaming thing to showB2
What courts are ours what matter if I dieG
What if they took their quick lime and erasedG
My flesh and bones expunged my very nameG2
And made its syllables forbidden stillH2
If I brought in a new day for the courtsI
Have I not served he thought Sosnowski roseI
And to the bar drank whiskey then went outG
-
That afternoon Elihu Rufus FoxI
Came home to dress for a dinner to be givenS
For English notables in town to restG
After a bath and found himself aloneS
His wife at Red Cross work And there aloneS
Collarless lounging in a comfort chairJ
Poring on Wordsworth's poems all at onceI
Before he hears the door turned rather feelsI
A foot fall and a presence hears too soonS
A pistol shot looks up and sees SosnowskiG
Who fires again but misses grabs the manS
Disarms him flings him down and finding bloodG
Upon his shirt sleeve sees his hand is hitG
No other damage then the pistol takesI
And covering Sosnowski looks at himD
And after several seconds gets the faceI
Which gradually comes forth from memoriesI
Of many cases knows the man at lastG
And studying Sosnowski Rufus FoxI
Divines what drove the fellow to this deedG
And in these moments Rufus Fox beholdsI
His life and work and how he made the lawA2
A thing to use how he had builded friendshipsI
In clubs and churches courted politiciansI
And played with secret powers and compromisedG
Causes and truths for power and capitalC
To draw on as a lawyer so to winS
Favorable judgments when his skill was hiredG
By those who wished to win who had to winS
To keep the social order undisturbedG
And wealth where it was wrenched toG
-
And Rufus FoxI
Knew that this trembling wreck before him knewG
About this course of life at making lawA2
And using law and using those who sitG
To administer the law And then he saidG
Why did you do thisI
-
And Sosnowski spokeI2
I meant to kill you where's your right to liveF2
When millions have been killed to make the worldG
A safer place for liberty Where's your rightG
To live and have more honors be the manS
To guide the city now that telephonesI
Gas railways have been taken by the cityG
I meant to kill you just to help the poorJ
Who go to court For had I killed you hereJ
My story would be known no matter ifJ2
They buried me in lime and made my nameG2
A word no man could speak Now I have failedG
And since you have the pistol point it at meG
And kill me now for if you tell the worldG
You killed me in defense of self the worldG
Will never doubt you for the world believes youG
And will not doubt your word whatever it isI
-
And Rufus Fox replied Your mind is turnedG
For thinking of your case when you should knowB2
This country is a place of laws and lawA2
Must have its way no matter who is hurtG
Now I must turn you over to the courtsI
And let you feel the hard hand of the lawA2
Just then the wife of Rufus Fox came inS
And saw her husband with his granite jawsI
And lowering countenance blood on his shirtG
The pistol in his hand the scarred SosnowskiG
Facing the lawyerJ
-
Seeing that her husbandG
Had no wound but a hand clipped of the skinS
And learning what the story was she sawA2
It was no time to let Sosnowski's wrongK2
Come out to cloud the glory of her husbandG
Now that in a new day he had come to standG
With progress fairer terms of life to letG
The corpse of a dead day be brought besideG
The fresh and breathing life of brighter truthD2
Quickly she called the butler gave him chargeL2
Over Sosnowski who was taken outG
Held in the kitchen while the two conferredG
The husband and the wifeT
-
To him she saidG
They two alone now I can see your planS
To turn this fellow over to the lawA2
It will not do my dear it will not doG
For though I have been sharer in your lifeT
Partaker of its spoils and fruits I seeG
This man is just a ghost of a dead dayG
Of your past life perhaps in which I sharedG
But that dead life I would not resurrectG
In memory even it has passed us byG
You shall not live it more no more shall IG
The war has changed the world the harvest comingM2
Will have its tares no doubt but the old taresG
Have been cut out and burned wholly I trustG
And just to think you used that sharpened talentG
For getting money place in the old regimeN2
To place you where to day Why where you mustG
Use all your talents for the common goodG
A barter takes two parties and the trafficO2
Whereby the giants of the era goneS
You are a giant rising on the wreckP2
Of programs and of plots made riches forJ
Themselves and those they served is gone as wellQ2
Since gradually no one is left to serveR2
Or have an interest but the state or cityG
The community which is all and should be allZ
So here you are at last despite yourselfE2
Changed not in mind perhaps but changed in placeG
Work interest taking pride too in the workS2
And speaking with your outer mind at leastG
Praise for the day and workS2
-
I am at faultG
And take no virtue to myself I livedG
Your life with you and coveted the thingsG
Your labors brought me All is changed for meG
I would be poorer than this wretched PoleX
Rather than go back to the day that's deadG
Or reassume the moods I lived them throughG
What can we do now to undo the pastG
Those days of self indulgence ostentationS
False prestige witless pride that waste of timeT2
Money and spirit haunted by ennuiG
Insatiable emotion thirst for changeU2
At least we can do this We can set upV2
The race's progress and our country's gloryG
As standards for our work each day go onS
Perhaps in ignorance misguided faithW2
And let the end approve our poor attemptsG
Now to begin I ask two things of youG
If you or anyone who did your willH2
Wronged this poor Pole make good the wrong at onceG
And for the sake of bigness let him goB2
For your own name's sake let the fellow goB2
Do you so promise meG
-
And Rufus FoxG
Who looked a thunder cloud of wrath and powerJ
Before the mirror tying his white tieG
All this time silent only spoke these wordsG
Go tell the butler to keep guard on himD
And hold him till we come from dinnerJ
-
The wifeT
Looked at the red black face of Rufus FoxG
There in the mirror which like Lao's mirrorJ
Reflected what his mind was then went outG
Gently to her bidding found SosnowskiG
Laughing and talking with the second maidG
Watched over by the butler quite himselfE2
His pent up anger half discharged his grudgeX2
In part relievedG
-
There was a garrulous ancient at LeRoyJ
Who traced all evils to monopolyG
In land all social cures to single taxG
He tried to button hole the coronerJ
And tell him what he thought of Elenor MurrayG
But Merival escaped And then this manS
Consider Freeland named got in a groupY2
And talked his mind out of the case the landG
And what makes poverty and waste in livesG

Edgar Lee Masters



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