14. Honky Tonk in Cleveland, Ohio. II. People Who Must. Sandburg, Carl. 1920. Smoke and Steel

Verse > Carl Sandburg > Smoke and Steel > II. People Who Must > 14. Honky Tonk in Cleveland, Ohio

Carl Sandburg (1878–1967). Smoke and Steel. 1922.

II. People Who Must

14. Honky Tonk in Cleveland, Ohio

IT’S a jazz affair, drum crashes and cornet razzes
The trombone pony neighs and the tuba jackass snorts.
The banjo tickles and titters too awful.
The chippies talk about the funnies in the papers.
The cartoonists weep in their beer.	5
Ship riveters talk with their feet
To the feet of floozies under the tables.
A quartet of white hopes mourn with interspersed snickers:
“I got the blues.
I got the blues.	10
I got the blues.”
And … as we said earlier:
The cartoonists weep in their beer.