Guess Again

Ringgold Wilmer Lardner 1885 (Niles, Michigan) – 1933 (East Hampton, New York)



"I guess I'll help you, daddy."
And daddy can't say "No;"
For if he did, 'twould wound you, kid,
And cause the tears to flow.
  
"I guess I'll help you, daddy."
And daddy says: "All right,"
And tries to do, ignoring you,
Whatever work's in sight.
  
But what's the use of trying?
As well be reconciled
To quit and play the game that may
Be pleasing to you, child.
  
To quit and play, or roughhouse,
Or read, as you elect;
For I'm afraid the guess you made
Was wholly incorrect.
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Submitted on August 03, 2020

Modified on May 02, 2023

29 sec read
16

Quick analysis:

Scheme Abxb Acxc xdxd xexe
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 463
Words 97
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

Ringgold Wilmer Lardner

Ringgold Wilmer "Ring" Lardner (March 5, 1885 – September 25, 1933) was an American sports columnist and short story writer best known for his satirical writings on sports, marriage, and the theatre. His contemporaries Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, and F. Scott Fitzgerald all professed strong admiration for his writing.  more…

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