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Rejected

Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)

When Dr. Charles O'Donnell died
They sank a box with him inside.

The plate with his initials three
Was simply graven-'C.O.D.'

That night two demons of the Pit
Adown the coal-hole shunted it.

Ten million million leagues it fell,
Alighting at the gate of Hell.

Nick looked upon it with surprise,
A night-storm darkening his eyes.

'They've sent this rubbish, C.O.D.
I'll never pay a cent!' said he.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

23 sec read
379

Quick analysis:

Scheme AA BA CC DD EE XB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 392
Words 76
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2
Full analysis for Rejected »

Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. more…

All Ambrose Bierce poems | Ambrose Bierce Books

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"Rejected" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 26 Sep. 2023. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/1880/rejected>.

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