John Scofield Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIJKGLJMNOPQR STURVWXYZPSA2VB2ANMS C2D2E2ND2UF2G2G2B BH2I VGI2J2MK2VSJ L2JM2N2VO2 P2PVQ2R2RC2S2BD2T2U2 CD2ABV2D2G2H2W2INVBV VD2X2VY2Z2A3VVB3U2C SC3D3BVE3GF3VG3H3AI3 NJ3VK3L3 M3BN3O3A3S2 E3G2WD2US2P3BE3Q3You see I worked for Arthur Fouche he said | A |
Until the year before he died I knew | B |
That worthless son of his who lived with him | C |
Born when his mother was past bearing time | D |
So born a weakling When he came from college | E |
He married soon and came to mother's hearth | F |
And brought his bride I heard the old man say | G |
A man should have his own place when he marries | H |
Not settle in the family nest I heard | I |
The old man offer him a place or offer | J |
To buy a place for him This baby boy | K |
Ran quick to mother cried and asked to stay | G |
What happened then What always happens Soon | L |
This son began to edge upon the father | J |
And take the reins a little Arthur Fouche | M |
Was growing old And at the last the son | N |
Controlled the bank account and ran the farms | O |
And Mrs Fouche gave up her place at table | P |
To daughter in law no longer served or poured | Q |
The coffee so you see how humble beggars | R |
Become the masters it is always so | S |
Now this I know When this boy came from school | T |
And brought his wife back to the family place | U |
Old Arthur Fouche had twenty thousand dollars | R |
On saving in the bank and lots of money | V |
Loaned out on mortgages But when he died | W |
He owed two thousand dollars at the bank | X |
Where did the money go Why for ten years | Y |
When Arthur Fouche and son were partners I | Z |
Saw what went on and saw this boy buy cattle | P |
When beef was high sell cattle when it was low | S |
And lose each year a little And I saw | A2 |
This boy buy buggies autos and machinery | V |
And lose the money trading So it was | B2 |
This worthless boy had nothing in his head | A |
To run a business which used up the fortune | N |
Of Arthur Fouche and strangled Arthur Fouche | M |
As vines destroy an oak tree Well you know | S |
When Arthur Fouche's will was opened up | C2 |
They found this son was willed most everything | D2 |
It's always so The children who go out | E2 |
And make their way get nothing and the son | N |
Who stays at home by mother gets the swag | D2 |
And so this son was willed the family place | U |
And sold it to that chiropractor left | F2 |
For California to remake his life | G2 |
And died there after wasting all his life | G2 |
His father's fortune too | B |
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So now to show you | B |
How age breaks down a mind and dulls a heart | H2 |
I'll tell you what I heard | I |
- | |
This Elenor Murray | V |
Was eighteen just from High School and one day | G |
She came to see her grandfather and talked | I2 |
The old man always said he loved her most | J2 |
Of all the grandchildren and Mrs Fouche | M |
Told me a dozen times she thought as much | K2 |
Of Elenor Murray as she did of any | V |
Child of her own Too bad they didn't show | S |
Their love for her | J |
- | |
I was in and out the room | L2 |
Where Elenor Murray and her grandfather | J |
Were talking on that day was planing doors | M2 |
That swelled and wouldn't close There was no secret | N2 |
About this talk of theirs that I could see | V |
And so I listened | O2 |
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Elenor began | P2 |
If you can help me grandpa just a little | P |
I can go through the university | V |
I can teach school in summer and can save | Q2 |
A little money by denying self | R2 |
If you can let me have two hundred dollars | R |
When school begins each year divide it up | C2 |
If you prefer and give me half in the fall | S2 |
And half in March perhaps I can get through | B |
And when I finish I shall go to work | D2 |
And pay you back I want it as a loan | T2 |
And do not ask it for a gift She sat | U2 |
And fingered at her dress while asking him | C |
And Arthur Fouche looked at her Come to think | D2 |
He was toward eighty then At last he said | A |
I wish I could do what you ask me Elenor | B |
But there are several things You see my child | V2 |
I have been through this thing of educating | D2 |
A family of children lived my life | G2 |
In that regard and so have done my part | H2 |
I sent your mother to St Mary's sent | W2 |
The rest of them wherever they desired | I |
And that's what every father owes his children | N |
And when he does it he has done his duty | V |
I'm sorry that your father cannot help you | B |
And I would help you though I've done my duty | V |
By those to whom I owed it but you see | V |
Your uncle and myself are partners buying | D2 |
And selling cattle and the business lags | X2 |
We do not profit much and all the money | V |
I have in bank is needed for this business | Y2 |
We buy the cattle and we buy the corn | Z2 |
Then we run short of corn and now and then | A3 |
I have to ask the bank to lend us money | V |
And give my note Last month I borrowed money | V |
And so the old man talked And as I looked | B3 |
I saw the tears run down her cheeks She sat | U2 |
And looked as if she didn't believe him | C |
- | |
No | S |
Why should she For I do not understand | C3 |
Why in a case like this a man who's worth | D3 |
Say fifty thousand dollars couldn't spare | B |
Two hundred dollars by the year Let's see | V |
He might have bought less corn or cattle gambled | E3 |
On lucky sales of cattle there's a way | G |
To do a big thing when you have the eyes | F3 |
To see how big it is and as for me | V |
If money must be lost I'd rather lose it | G3 |
On Elenor Murray than on cattle In fact | H3 |
That's where the money went as I have said | A |
And Elenor Murray went away and earned | I3 |
Two terms at college and this worthless son | N |
Ate up and spent the money All of them | J3 |
The son and Arthur Fouche and Elenor Murray | V |
Are gone to dust now like the garden things | K3 |
That sprout up fall and rot | L3 |
- | |
At times it seems | M3 |
All waste to me no matter what you do | B |
For self or others unless you think of turnips | N3 |
Which can't be much to turnips but are good | O3 |
For us who raise them Here's my story then | A3 |
Good wishes to you Coroner Merival | S2 |
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Coroner Merival heard that Gottlieb Gerald | E3 |
Knew Elenor Murray and her family life | G2 |
And knew her love for music how she tried | W |
To play on the piano On an evening | D2 |
He went with Winthrop Marion to the place | U |
Llewellyn George dropped in to hear as well | S2 |
Where Gottlieb Gerald sold pianos dreamed | P3 |
Read Kant at times a scholar but a failure | B |
His life a waste in business Gottlieb Gerald | E3 |
Spoke to them in these words | Q3 |
Edgar Lee Masters
(1)
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