A Controversialist

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



I've sometimes wished that Ingersoll were wise
To hold his tongue, nor rail against the skies;
For when he's made a point some pious dunce
Like Bartlett of the _Bulletin_ 'replies.'

I brandish no iconoclastic fist,
Nor enter the debate an atheist;
But when they say there is a God I ask
Why Bartlett, then, is suffered to exist.

Even infidels that logic might resent,
Saying: 'There's no place for his punishment
That's worse than earth.' But humbly I submit
That he would make a hell wherever sent.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

28 sec read
51

Quick analysis:

Scheme AAAA BXXB CXXC
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 496
Words 92
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4

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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