The Tables Turned

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



Over the man the street car ran,
And the driver did never grin.
'O killer of men, pray tell me when
Your laughter means to begin.

'Ten years to a day I've observed you slay,
And I never have missed before
Your jubilant peals as your crunching wheels
Were spattered with human gore.

'Why is it, my boy, that you smother your joy,
And why do you make no sign
Of the merry mind that is dancing behind
A solemner face than mine?'

The driver replied: 'I would laugh till I cried
If I had bisected you;
But I'd like to explain, if I can for the pain,
'T is myself that I've cut in two.'

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 27, 2023

36 sec read
133

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXA XBXB XCXC XDXD
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 573
Words 120
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 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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