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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
NOT FOR HIRE, by MARION PERHAM GALE First Line: If I could be a sparrow on a wire Last Line: I must suppress my covetous desire. | |||
If I could be a sparrow on a wire, I'd sip the netted length of this old town And satisfy my covetous desire To turn these stolid townsfolk upside down. I'd contemplate the hilltops of their hats And never look beneath their brims at all, For me they'd be just silly acrobats Creating shadow comics on the wall. I'd never sing a note for them to hear, And ruff my feathers with a swagger air; In fact, I'd show them just how much I dare By molting ... yes ... a dozen times a year! But, since a sparrow's way is not for hire, I must suppress my covetous desire. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...GOD'S CHALLENGERS; A SOLDIERS' HOSPITAL by MARION PERHAM GALE WAKE, MASSACHUSETTS by MARION PERHAM GALE PORTRAIT OF ONE DEAD by CONRAD AIKEN COMING DOWN TO THE DESERT AT LORDBURG, N.M. by HAYDEN CARRUTH CHAMBER MUSIC: 8 by JAMES JOYCE A BIRTHDAY by LOUIS UNTERMEYER THE VOLUNTEER by HERBERT HENRY ASQUITH THE INEBRIATE by RICHARD HARRIS BARHAM THE BERG (A DREAM) by HERMAN MELVILLE BURIAL by EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY |
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