Consider Freeland Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFBG HIJKLMNNKONNKN NEKPJCNQRQNSBT JQBUVKWXY KKZPA2B2KKC2D2KPE2F2 LD2G2 KH2GI2DJ2K2L2NM2KNKL 2JN2NO2L2B2QKKJ KYP2BQ2NR2S2T2NNU2NH V2JW2K2 QX2NNEY2N N2PNPNM2Z2NEKNX2F2NZ QNA3NNB3NC3 TD3JE3F3 QG3CH3KNHNNE2 A2I3 QUKLKKJ3NQNK3QQKKQQL 3GK3FNLW2NNQU2QM3KN3 NNQCE2NU2O3P3 QO3NQNO3O3 NQ3NQNO3NM3NQ

Look at that tract of land there five good acresA
Held out of use these thirty years and moreB
They keep a cow there See the cow's there nowC
She can't eat up the grass there is so muchD
And in these thirty years these houses hereE
Here all around here have been built This lotF
Is worth five times the worth it had beforeB
These houses were built round itG
-
Well by GodH
I am in part responsible for thisI
I started out to be a first rate lawyerJ
Was I first rate lawyer Well I wonK
These acres for the Burtons in the dayL
When I could tell you what is gavel kindM
Advowsons corodies frank tenementsN
Scutage escheats feoffments heriotsN
Remainders and reversions and mortmainK
Tale special and tale general tale femaleO
Fees absolute conditional copyholdsN
And used to stand and argue with the courtsN
The difference 'twixt a purchase limitationK
The rule in Shelley's caseN
-
And so it wasN
In my good days I won these acres hereE
For old man Kingston's daughter who in turnK
Bound it with limitation for the lifeP
Of selfish sons who keep a caretakerJ
Who keeps a cow upon it There's the cowC
The land has had no use for thirty yearsN
The children are kept off it Elenor MurrayQ
This girl whose death makes such a stir one timeR
Was playing there but that's another storyQ
I only say for the present these five acresN
Made Elenor Murray's life a thing of wasteS
As much as anything and a damn sight moreB
For think a minuteT
-
Kingston had a daughterJ
Married to Colonel Burton in KentuckyQ
And Kingston's son was in the Civil WarB
But just before the war the Burtons deededU
These acres here which she inheritedV
From old man Kingston to this Captain KingstonK
The son aforesaid of Old Kingston WellW
The deed upon its face was absoluteX
But really was a deed in trustY
-
The CaptainK
Held title for a year or two and thenK
An hour before he fought at Shiloh madeZ
A will and willed acres to his wifeP
Fee simple and forever Now you'd thinkA2
That contemplating death he'd make a deedB2
Giving these acres back to Mrs BurtonK
The sister who had trusted him I don't knowK
What comes in people's heads but I believeC2
The want of money is the root of evilD2
As well as love of money for this CaptainK
Perhaps would make provision for his wifeP
And infant son thought that the chiefest thingE2
No matter how he did it being poorF2
Willed this land as he did But anywayL
He willed it so went into Shiloh's battleD2
And fell dead on the fieldG2
-
What happened thenK
They took this will to probate As I saidH2
I was a lawyer then you may believe itG
Was hired by the Burtons to reclaimI2
These acres from the Widow Kingston's clutchD
Under this wicked will And so I arguedJ2
The will had not been witnessed according to lawK2
Got beat upon that point in the lower courtL2
But won upon it in the upper courtsN
Then next I filed a bill to set asideM2
This deed the Burtons made to Captain KingstonK
Oh I was full of schemes expedientsN
In those days I can tell you Widow KingstonK
Came back and filed a cross bill asked the courtL2
To confirm the title in her son and herJ
As heirs of Captain Kingston let the willN2
Go out of thought and reckoning Here's the issueN
You understand the case no doubt We foughtO2
Through all the courts I lost in the lower courtL2
As I lost on the will There was the deedB2
For love and affection and one dollar weQ
Convey and warrant lots from one to tenK
In the city of LeRoy to Captain KingstonK
To be his own foreverJ
-
How to goK
Behind such words and show the actual trustY
Inhering in the deed that was the jobP2
But here I was resourceful as beforeB
Found witnesses to testify they heardQ2
This Captain Kingston say he held the acresN
In trust for Mrs Burton but I lostR2
Before the chancellor had to appealS2
But won on the appeal and thus restoredT2
These acres to the Burtons And for thisN
What did I get Three hundred lousy dollarsN
That's why I smoke a pipe that's also whyU2
I quit the business when I saw the businessN
Was making ready to quit me By GodH
My life is waste so far as it was usedV2
By this law business and no coronerJ
Need hold an inquest on me to find outW2
What waste was in my life God damn the lawK2
-
Well then I go my way and take my feeQ
And pay my bills The Burtons have the landX2
And turn a cow upon it See how niceN
A playground it would be I've seen ten setsN
Of children try to play there hey you hearE
The caretaker come out get off of thereY2
And then the children scamper climb the fenceN
-
Well after while the Burtons die The willN2
Leaves these five acres to their sons for lifeP
Remainder to the children of the sonsN
The sons are living yet at middle lifeP
These acres have been tied up twenty yearsN
They may be tied up thirty years besideM2
The sons can't sell it and their children can'tZ2
Only the cow can use it as it standsN
It grows more valuable as the people come hereE
And bring in being Elenor Murrays childrenK
And make the land around it populousN
That's what makes poverty this holding landX2
It makes the taxes harder on the poorF2
It makes work scarcer and it takes your girlsN
And boys and throws them into life half madeZ
Half ready for the battle Is a countryQ
Free where the laws permit such things Your priestsN
Your addle headed preachers mouthing ChristA3
And morals prohibition laws to forceN
People to be good to save the girlsN
When every half wit knows environmentB3
Takes natures made unstable in these homesN
Of poverty and does the trickC3
-
That baronetT
Who mocked our freedom sailing back for EnglandD3
And said Your Liberty Statue in the harborJ
Is just a joke that baronet is rightE3
While such conditions thriveF3
-
Well look at meQ
Who for three hundred dollars take a partG3
In making a cow pasture for a cowC
For fifty years or so I hate myselfH3
And were the Burtons better than this KingstonK
Kingston would will away what was not hisN
The Burtons took what is the gift of GodH
As much as air and fenced it out of useN
Save for the cow aforesaid for the livesN
Of sons in beingE2
-
Oh I know you thinkA2
I have a grudge I haveI3
-
This Elenor MurrayQ
Was ten years old I think this law suit endedU
Twelve years or so and I was running downK
Was tippling just a little every dayL
And I came by this lot one afternoonK
When school was out a sunny afternoonK
The children had no place except the streetJ3
To play in they were standing by the fenceN
The cow was way across the lot and ElenorQ
Was looking through the fence some boys and girlsN
Standing around her and I said to themK3
Why don't you climb the fence and play in thereQ
And Elenor she always was a leaderQ
And not afraid of anything said Come onK
And in a jiffy climbed the fence the childrenK
Some quicker and some slower followed herQ
Some said They don't allow it ElenorQ
Stood on the fence flung up her arms and crowedL3
And said What can they do He says to do itG
Pointing at me And in a moment all of themK3
Were playing and were shouting in the lotF
And I stood there and watched them half maliciousN
And half in pleasure watching them at playL
Then I heard hey the care taker ran outW2
And said Get out of there I will arrest youN
He drove them out and as they jumped the fenceN
Some said He told us to pointing at meQ
And Elenor Murray said Why what a lieU2
And then the care taker grabbed Elenor MurrayQ
And said You are the wildest of them allM3
I spoke up saying Leave that child aloneK
I won this God damn land for those you serveN3
They use it for a cow and nothing elseN
And let these children run about the streetsN
When there are grass and dandelions thereQ
In plenty for these children and the cowC
And space enough to play in without botheringE2
That solitary cow I took his handsN
Away from Elenor Murray he and IU2
Came face to face with clenched fists but at lastO3
He walked away the children scampered offP3
-
Next day however they arrested meQ
For aiding in a trespass clausam fregitO3
And fined me twenty dollars and the costsN
Since then the cow has all her way in thereQ
And Elenor Murray left this rotten placeN
Went to the war came home and died and provedO3
She had the sense to leave so vile a worldO3
-
-
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George Joslin ending up his days with dreamsN
Of youth in Europe travels and with talkQ3
Stirred to a recollection of a faceN
He saw in Paris fifty years beforeQ
Because the face resembled Elenor Murray'sN
Explored his drawers and boxes where he keptO3
Mementos treasures of the olden daysN
And found a pamphlet came to MerivalM3
With certain recollections and with theoriesN
Of Elenor MurrayQ

Edgar Lee Masters



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