A Rough Sketch

James Whitcomb Riley 1849 (Greenfield) – 1916 (Indianapolis)



I caught, for a second, across the crowd--
Just for a second, and barely that--
A face, pox-pitted and evil-browed,
Hid in the shade of a slouch-rim'd hat--
With small gray eyes, of a look as keen
As the long, sharp nose that grew between.

And I said: 'Tis a sketch of Nature's own,
Drawn i' the dark o' the moon, I swear,
On a tatter of Fate that the winds have blown
Hither and thither and everywhere--
With its keen little sinister eyes of gray,
And nose like the beak of a bird of prey!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

30 sec read
31

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCC DEDEFF
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 487
Words 98
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 6, 6

James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. more…

All James Whitcomb Riley poems | James Whitcomb Riley Books

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    "A Rough Sketch" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/20796/a-rough-sketch>.

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