The Second Oldest Story

Dorothy Parker 1893 (Long Branch) – 1967 (New York City)



Go I must along my ways
  Though my heart be ragged,
Dripping bitter through the days,
  Festering, and jagged.
Smile I must at every twinge,
  Kiss, to time its throbbing;
He that tears a heart to fringe
  Hates the noise of sobbing.

Weep, my love, till Heaven hears;
  Curse and moan and languish.
While I wash your wound with tears,
  Ease aloud your anguish.
Bellow of the pit in Hell
  Where you're made to linger.
There and there and well and well-
  Did he prick his finger!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 03, 2023

27 sec read
498

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXAXBCBC XDXDEFEF
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 474
Words 89
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8

Dorothy Parker

Dorothy Parker was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. more…

All Dorothy Parker poems | Dorothy Parker Books

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