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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


FOOL-YOUNGENS by JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY

Poet Analysis

First Line: ME AN' BERT' AN' MINNIE-BELLE
Last Line: AN' IST CHOKE A-LAUGHIN'.
Subject(s): LAUGHTER; TREES; WIND;

ME an' Bert an' Minnie-Belle
Knows a joke, an' we won't tell!
No, we don't -- 'cause we don't know
@3Why@1 we got to laughin' so;
But we got to laughin' so,
We ist kep' a-laughin'.

Wind uz blowin' in the tree --
An' wuz only ist us three
Playin' there; an' ever' one
Ketched each other, like we done,
Squintin' up there at the sun
Like we wuz a-laughin'.

Nothin' funny anyway;
But I laughed, an' so did they --
An' we all three laughed, an' nen
Squint' our eyes an' laugh' again:
Ner we didn't ist @3p'ten'@1 --
We wuz @3shore-'nough@1 laughin'.

We ist laugh' an' laugh', tel Bert
Say he @3can't@1 quit an' it hurt.
Nen I @3howl,@1 an' Minnie-Belle
She tear up the grass a spell
An' ist stop her yeers an' @3yell@1
Like she'd @3die@1 a-laughin'.

Never sich fool-youngens yit!
Nothin' funny, -- not a bit! --
But we laugh' so, tel we whoop'
Purt' nigh like we have the croup --
All so hoarse we'd wheeze an' whoop
An' ist @3choke@1 a-laughin'.



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