The Alley Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIJKALMLNOPQ RSSMTMUTVW XYZA2B2ZC2D2YA2B2E2F 2G2H2I2ZJ2K2L2M2M2M2 L2 YN2J2O2J2J2P2Q2R2Q2 TYQ2S2UJ2K2UT2 MU2MJ2V2Q2J2P2 KJ2UMJ2W2Q2J2X2J2Y2J 2TJ2Z2J2J2A3W U2J2J2B3J2B3J2QC3CD3 MQ2J2J2J2J2HJ2J2J2J2 GE3A3F3W2 J2J2J2CJ2G3MQ2I2BJ2B P2I2H3MI3I2 J2J3W2J2MWL2W2JQ2M

Because you are four years oldA
the candle is all dressed up in a new frillB
And stars nod to you through the hole in the curtainC
except the big stiff planetsD
too fat to move about muchE
and you curtsey back to the starsF
when no one is lookingG
You feel sorry for the poor wooden chairH
that knows it isn't nice to sit onI
and no one is sad but mamaJ
You don't like mama to be sadK
when you are four years oldA
so you pretendL
you like the bitter gold pale teaM
you pretendL
if you don't drink it up pretty quickN
a little gold fishO
will think it is a pondP
and come and get born in itQ
-
-
-
It's hot in our streetR
and the breeze is a dirty little broomS
that sweeps dust into our roomS
and bits of paper out of the alleyM
You are not let to playT
with the children in the alleyM
But you must be very politeU
so you pass them and say good dayT
and when they fling banana skinsV
you fling them back againW
-
-
-
There is no one to play withX
and the flies on the windowY
buzz and buzzZ
you can pull out their legsA2
and stick pins in their bodiesB2
but still they buzzZ
and mama saysC2
When Nero was a little boyD2
he caught flies on his mama's windowY
and pulled out their legsA2
and stuck pins in their bodiesB2
and nobody loved himE2
Buzz blue bellied fliesF2
buzz nasty black wheelG2
of mama's machineH2
you are the biggest fly of allI2
you have the loudest buzzZ
I hear you at dawn before the locustsJ2
But I like the picture of the FloodK2
and the little babies getting drownedL2
If I were there I would save themM2
but as I can't save themM2
I like to watch themM2
getting drownedL2
-
-
-
When mama buys of Ling HoY
he smiles very wideN2
and picks her the largest loquotsJ2
The greens man gave her a cabbageO2
and she held it against her black bodiceJ2
and said what a beautiful green it wasJ2
and put it on the tableP2
as though it had been a flowerQ2
But next day we boiled and ate it with saltR2
It was our dinnerQ2
-
-
-
Christmas dayT
I found Janie on my pillowY
Janie is made of rubberQ2
Her red and blue jacket won't come offS2
Christmas dinner was green and whiteU
chicken and lettuce and peasJ2
and drops of oil on the saladK2
smiley and full of lightU
like the gold on the lady's teethT2
-
But mama said politelyM
Thank you we are dining outU2
She wouldn't let you take one peaM
to put in the hole where the whistle wasJ2
at the back of Janie's headV2
so Janie should have some dinnerQ2
So you went to the park with biscuitsJ2
and black tea in a bottleP2
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-
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You feel very sadK
when you climb on the fenceJ2
to watch mama out of sightU
The women in the alleyM
poke their heads out of doorwaysJ2
and watch her tooW2
You know herQ2
by the way she holds her shouldersJ2
till she is only a speckX2
in a chain of specksJ2
till she is swallowed upY2
But supposeJ2
that day after dayT
you were to watch for her faceJ2
and it didn't come backZ2
SupposeJ2
it were to drop out of the string of white facesJ2
like the pearl out of my chainA3
I never found againW
-
-
-
Mabel minds you while mama is outU2
she washes while she singsJ2
Three blind miceJ2
they all run away from the farmer's wifeB3
who cut off their tailsJ2
with a carving knifeB3
Wind blows out Mabel's sheetsJ2
way you blow in a bag before you burst itQ
Wind has a soapy smellC3
It's heavier'n sunC
that lies all over you without any weightD3
and makes you feel happyM
and crinkly like bubbling waterQ2
There's no sun on the empty houseJ2
sly looking houseJ2
you can't see in its windowsJ2
that watch you out of their cornersJ2
Perhaps there's a big spider thereH
spinning gray threads over the windowsJ2
till they look like dead people's facesJ2
Jimmie saysJ2
Jimmie's hair is white as a white mouseJ2
His lashes are gold as mama's wedding ringG
and his mouth feels cool and smoothE3
like a flower wet with rainA3
You wouldn't believe Jimmie was differentF3
till he showed youW2
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-
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Blind wet sheetsJ2
flapping on the linesJ2
sun in your eyesJ2
dark gold sunC
full of little black spotsJ2
you have to blink and blinkG3
round eyes of JimmieM
Jimmie's blue jumperQ2
blue shadow of wallI2
all the world holding stillB
as when a clock stopsJ2
streets still people stillB
no streets no peopleP2
only sky and wallI2
sun glaring bright as GodH3
down at you and JimmieM
shadow like a purple clothI3
trailing off the wallI2
-
Wild wet sheetsJ2
flapping in the windJ3
big slippered feet flapping tooW2
big balloon faceJ2
rushing up the alleyM
houses closing up againW
windows looking roundL2
Mabel pulls you in the gate and shakes youW2
and tells you not to tell your mamaJ
And you wonderQ2
if God has spoiled JimmieM

Lola Ridge



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