Poetry Explorer


Classic and Contemporary Poetry

FINNIGIN TO FLANNIGAN, by                    
First Line: Superintindint was flannigan; / boss av the siction was finnigin
Last Line: "gone agin. -- finnigan."
Subject(s): Errors; Mistakes; Fallacies


Superintindint was Flannigan;
Boss av the siction was Finnigin;
whiniver the kyars got offen the thrack
An' muddled up things t' th' divil an' back,
Finnigin writ it to Flannigan,
Afther the wrick wuz all on agin;
That is, this Finnigin
Repoorted to Flannigan.

Whin Finnigin furst writ to Flannigan,
He writed tin pages -- did Finnigin.
An' he tould jist how the smash occurred;
Fully minny a tajus, blunderin' wurrd
Did Finnigin write to Flannigan
Afther the cars had gone on agin.
That wuz how Finnigin
Repoorted to Flannigan.

Now Flannigan knowed more than Finnigin --
He'd more idjucation -- had Flannigan;
An' it wore'm clane an' complately out
To tell what Finnigin writ about
In his writin' to Muster Flannigan.
So he writed back to Finnigin:
"Don't do sich a sin agin;
Make 'em brief, Finnigin!"

Whin Finnigin got this from Flannigan,
He blushed rosy rid -- did Finnigin;
an' he said: "I'll gamble a whole month's pa-ay
That it will be minny an' minny a da-ay
Before Sup'rintindint, that's Flannigan,
Gits a whack at this very same sin agin.
From Finnigin to Flannigan
Repoorts won't be long agin."

Wan da-ay on the siction av Finnigin,
On the road sup'rintinded by Flannigan,
A rail gave way on a bit av a curve
An' some kyars went off as they made the swerve
"There's nobody hurted," sez Finnigin,
"But repoorts must be made to Flannigan."
An' he winked at McGorrigan,
As married a Finnigin.

He wuz shantyin' thin wuz Finnigin,
As minny a railroader's been agin,
An' th' shomy ol' lamp wuz burnin' bright
In Finnigin's shanty all that night --
Bilin' down his repoort, was Finnigin!
An' he writed this here: "Muster Flannigan:
Off agin, on agin,
Gone agin. -- Finnigan."





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...



Home: PoetryExplorer.net