Alley Rats
Carl Sandburg 1878 (Galesburg) – 1967 (Flat Rock)
They were calling certain styles of whiskers by the name of “lilacs.”
And another manner of beard assumed in their chatter a verbal guise
Of “mutton chops,” “galways,” “feather dusters.”
Metaphors such as these sprang from their lips while other street cries
Sprang from sparrows finding scattered oats among interstices of the curb.
Ah-hah these metaphors—and Ah-hah these boys—among the police they were known
As the Dirty Dozen and their names took the front pages of newspapers
And two of them croaked on the same day at a “necktie party” … if we employ the metaphors of their lips.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 24, 2023
- 31 sec read
- 54 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | XAB AXXBX |
---|---|
Characters | 613 |
Words | 105 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 3, 5 |
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"Alley Rats" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/4599/alley-rats>.
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