Upton Sinclair, ed. (1878–1968). rn The Cry for Justice: An Anthology of the Literature of Social Protest. 1915.

Lines to a Pomeranian Puppy Valued at $3,500

Untermeyer, Louis

Louis Untermeyer

(American poet, born 1885)

OFTEN as I strain and stew,

Digging in these dirty ditches,

I have dared to think of you—

You and all your riches.

Lackeys help you on and off;

And the bed is silk you lie in;

You have doctors when you cough,

Priests when you are dying.

Wrapt in soft and costly furs,

All sewed up with careful stitches,

You consort with proper curs

And with perfumed bitches.…

You don’t sweat to struggle free,

Work in rags and rotting breeches—

Puppy, have a laugh at me

Digging in the ditches!