The Life Of Lincoln West Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABC DEFGHIJJKLEMNCOP QLJJJR STJOOULVW XEIJYZA2Q B2YOC2C2 JYYJJIJD2JIIE2EC2C2F 2IERIC2OG2 H2SI2KJJ2YK2IOL2O M2YYYJ WN2 IYIEO2YP2 YJL2Q2UOOP2OYEO SDR2O YYJ2S2WT2JE JQ2IU2V2JJOW2UX2 X2UX2IM2Y2O QUgliest little boy | A |
that everyone ever saw | B |
That is what everyone said | C |
- | |
Even to his mother it was apparent | D |
when the blue aproned nurse came into the | E |
northeast end of the maternity ward | F |
bearing his squeals and plump bottom | G |
looped up in a scant receiving blanket | H |
bending to pass the bundle carefully | I |
into the waiting mother hands that this | J |
was no cute little ugliness no sly baby waywardness | J |
that was going to inch away | K |
as would baby fat baby curl and | L |
baby spot rash The pendulous lip the | E |
branching ears the eyes so wide and wild | M |
the vague unvibrant brown of the skin | N |
and most disturbing the great head | C |
These components of That Look bespoke | O |
the sure fibre The deep grain | P |
- | |
His father could not bear the sight of him | Q |
His mother high piled her pretty dyed hair and | L |
put him among her hairpins and sweethearts | J |
dance slippers torn paper roses | J |
He was not less than these | J |
he was not more | R |
- | |
As the little Lincoln grew | S |
uglily upward and out he began | T |
to understand that something was | J |
wrong His little ways of trying | O |
to please his father the bringing | O |
of matches the jumping aside at | U |
warning sound of oh so large and | L |
rushing stride the smile that gave | V |
and gave and gave Unsuccessful | W |
- | |
Even Christmases and Easters were spoiled | X |
He would be sitting at the | E |
family feasting table really | I |
delighting in the displays of mashed potatoes | J |
and the rich golden | Y |
fat crust of the ham or the festive | Z |
fowl when he would look up and find | A2 |
somebody feeling indignant about him | Q |
- | |
What a pity what a pity No love | B2 |
for one so loving The little Lincoln | Y |
loved Everybody Ants The changing | O |
caterpillar His much missing mother | C2 |
His kindergarten teacher | C2 |
- | |
His kindergarten teacher whose | J |
concern for him was composed of one | Y |
part sympathy and two parts repulsion | Y |
The others ran up with their little drawings | J |
He ran up with his | J |
She | I |
tried to be as pleasant with him as | J |
with others but it was difficult | D2 |
For she was all pretty all daintiness | J |
all tiny vanilla with blue eyes and fluffy | I |
sun hair One afternoon she | I |
saw him in the hall looking bleak against | E2 |
the wall It was strange because the | E |
bell had long since rung and no other | C2 |
child was in sight Pity flooded her | C2 |
She buttoned her gloves and suggested | F2 |
cheerfully that she walk him home She | I |
started out bravely holding him by the | E |
hand But she had not walked far before | R |
she regretted it The little monkey | I |
Must everyone look And clutching her | C2 |
hand like that Literally pinching | O |
it | G2 |
- | |
At seven the little Lincoln loved | H2 |
the brother and sister who | S |
moved next door Handsome Well | I2 |
dressed Charitable often to him They | K |
enjoyed him because he was | J |
resourceful made up | J2 |
games told stories But when | Y |
their More Acceptable friends came they turned | K2 |
their handsome backs on him He | I |
hated himself for his feeling | O |
of well being when with them despite | L2 |
Everything | O |
- | |
He spent much time looking at himself | M2 |
in mirrors What could be done | Y |
But there was no | Y |
shrinking his head There was no | Y |
binding his ears | J |
- | |
Don t touch me cried the little | W |
fairy like being in the playground | N2 |
- | |
Her name was Nerissa The many | I |
children were playing tag but when | Y |
he caught her she recoiled jerked free | I |
and ran It was like all the | E |
rainbow that ever was going off | O2 |
forever all all the sparklings in | Y |
the sunset west | P2 |
- | |
One day while he was yet seven | Y |
a thing happened In the down town movies | J |
with his mother a white | L2 |
man in the seat beside him whispered | Q2 |
loudly to a companion and pointed at | U |
the little Linc | O |
THERE That s the kind I ve been wanting | O |
to show you One of the best | P2 |
examples of the specie Not like | O |
those diluted Negroes you see so much of on | Y |
the streets these days but the | E |
real thing | O |
- | |
Black ugly and odd You | S |
can see the savagery The blunt | D |
blankness That is the real | R2 |
thing | O |
- | |
His mother her hair had never looked so | Y |
red around the dark brown | Y |
velvet of her face jumped up | J2 |
shrieked Go to She did not finish | S2 |
She yanked to his feet the little | W |
Lincoln who was sitting there | T2 |
staring in fascination at his assessor At the author of his | J |
new idea | E |
- | |
All the way home he was happy Of course | J |
he had not liked the word | Q2 |
ugly | I |
But after all should he not | U2 |
be used to that by now What had | V2 |
struck him among words and meanings | J |
he could little understand was the phrase | J |
the real thing | O |
He didn t know quite why | W2 |
but he liked that | U |
He liked that very much | X2 |
- | |
When he was hurt too much | X2 |
stared at | U |
too much | X2 |
left alone he | I |
thought about that He told himself | M2 |
After all I m | Y2 |
the real thing | O |
- | |
It comforted him | Q |
Gwendolyn Brooks
(1)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
Write your comment about The Life Of Lincoln West poem by Gwendolyn Brooks
Best Poems of Gwendolyn Brooks