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| From Ruthless Rhymes for Heartless Homes |
Harry Graham made his debut in 1902 when he wrote a collection of poems in a book titled Ruthless Rhymes for Heartless Homes, under the pen name of Col. D. Steamer. Here are two of the poems.
Willie saw some dynamite,
Didn't understand it quite.
Curiosity seldom pays.
It rained Willie seven days.
Little Willie, feeling well
Pushed his sister down the well.
Said his mother, drawing water;
It's mighty tough to raise a daughter!"
Little Willie poems have been popular ever since. In 1913 and 1914 The Brooklyn Eagle ran a political cartoon every week called Ruthless Rhymes for Martial Militants. Below is one from 1944.
Willie in his roguish way
Tipped Grandpa on the fire one day.
Mother said, "My dear that's cruel!
But of course it does save fuel.
And now for mine. A Little Willie Poem by Cindy Amrhein
Willie hated his next door neighbor.
Fed him to an alligator.
Skinned the gator with his knife.
Made a purse and shoes for his neighbor's wife.
Now it's your turn. Can you come up with a Little Willie poem? You can leave it in the comments below for all of us to enjoy!
(This is post #14 in the Ultimate Blog Challenge)
Willie saw some dynamite,
Didn't understand it quite.
Curiosity seldom pays.
It rained Willie seven days.
Little Willie, feeling well
Pushed his sister down the well.
Said his mother, drawing water;
It's mighty tough to raise a daughter!"
Little Willie poems have been popular ever since. In 1913 and 1914 The Brooklyn Eagle ran a political cartoon every week called Ruthless Rhymes for Martial Militants. Below is one from 1944.
Willie in his roguish way
Tipped Grandpa on the fire one day.
Mother said, "My dear that's cruel!
But of course it does save fuel.
And now for mine. A Little Willie Poem by Cindy Amrhein
Willie hated his next door neighbor.
Fed him to an alligator.
Skinned the gator with his knife.
Made a purse and shoes for his neighbor's wife.
Now it's your turn. Can you come up with a Little Willie poem? You can leave it in the comments below for all of us to enjoy!
(This is post #14 in the Ultimate Blog Challenge)
Never heard of these poems but yours is pretty good!
ReplyDeleteThanks Phil. I'm looking for a few more from newspapers. Had to change my source for one because I realized it wasn't free for others to read the 1944 article i they chose to do so. :(
ReplyDelete