To Kate. (In Lieu Of A Valentine)
Ellis Parker Butler 1869 (Muscatine) – 1937 (Williamsville)
Sweet Love and I had oft communed;
We were, indeed, great friends,
And oft I sought his office, near
Where Courtship Alley ends.
I used to sit with him, and smoke,
And talk of your blue eyes,
And argue how I best might act
To make your heart my prize.
He always seemed to have much time
To hear me tell my joy,
So that I came to deem him but
An idle, lazy boy.
But on St. Valentine his day,
I found him hard at work,
As if he had a mighty task
And did not dare to shirk;
And o’er his head there hung a card
That made me haste away;
It bore these words—
Please make it short.
This is my busy day!
And so, Sweet maiden; if I send
No valentine, you see
The reason here; Love could not waste
His precious time on me!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 45 sec read
- 61 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABXB XCAC XDAD AEXE AXXAA AFAF |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 700 |
Words | 151 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 4 |
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"To Kate. (In Lieu Of A Valentine)" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/11084/to-kate.-(in-lieu-of-a-valentine)>.
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