Elizabeth Madox Roberts. Autumn. Harriet Monroe, ed. Poetry: A Magazine of Verse. 1912-22

Harriet Monroe, ed. (1860–1936). Poetry: A Magazine of Verse. 1912–22.

Autumn

By Elizabeth Madox Roberts


From “Talk from the Dust” DICK and Will and Charles and I
Were playing it was election day;
And I was running for president,
And Dick was a band that was going to play,

And Charles and Will were a street parade.	5
But Clarence came, and said that he
Was going to run for president,
And I could run for school-trustee.

He made some flags for Charles and Will,
And a badge to go on Dickie’s coat.	10
He stood some cornstalks by the fence
And had them for the men that vote.

Then he climbed on a box and made a speech
To the cornstalk men that were in a row.
It was all about the Dem-o-crats,	15
And “I de-fy any man to show”;

And “I de-fy any man to say”,
And all about “It’s a big disgrace”.
He spoke his speech out very loud
And shook his fist in a cornstalk’s face.	20