Name that Poet

This is from a privately printed (for the Bibliophile Society) edition from the early 20th Century.

First person to name the poet gets a hardy round of applause. I'm going to bed now, so I will check in a few hours to see what guesses or answers occur. It is a well known American author.


A NATIONAL HYMN

Whether on hill or plain,
Blood of the patriot slain
Hallows our sod;
While from the glorious air
Vaulting our land so fair
Fall, as an inscence rare,
Blessings of God.

Holy the heritage
Blazoned on hist'ry's page
For us to keep;
Wrapped in thy mantles red,
With our dear flag o'er head,
Rest thee, illustrious dead---
Sweet be thy sleep!

Princes, that scorn the Right --
Nations, whose pride is Might,
Crumble to dust;
Freedom the boon crave --
No man shall be a slave
Where'er our banner wave --
God is our trust!

Seeing those early years
Dim thro' a mist of tears,
Pausing, we stand;
While spirit voices share
This universal pray'r
Filling the solemn air --
"God bless our land!"


Sept. 17, 1887

That I know.

Jesus On Mars

The great canyon complex of the Valles Marinaris was a black wound on a red body.

It ran for 3000 miles from east to west on the equator of Mars. At its widest it was fifty miles.



I gave you the title, and I'll give you another hint: It was originally supposed to be in Isaac Asimov's Sci Fi magazine #22. This is a well known sci fi writer and the story was only published (that I know of) in a very limited edition 23 years ago.

Philip Jose Farmer. Ellis Press, 1980.

Congrats, you know your Farmer!

nor Vachel Lindsay, nor Robert Frost (wrong time frame). Was it some politician, like Wm Jennings Bryan?

Better known as a "children's poet."

THE DUEL

The gingham dog and the calico cat
Side by side on the table sat;
'T was half-past twelve and (what do you think!)
Nor one nor t'other had slept a wink!
The old Dutch clock and the Chinese plate
Appeared to know as sure as fate
There was going to be a terrible spat.
(I wasn't there; I simply state
What was told to me by the Chinese plate!)

The gingham dog went "bow-wow-wow!"
And the calico cat replied "mee-ow!"
The air was littered, an hour or so,
With bits of gingham and calico,
While the old Dutch clock in the chimney-place
Up with its hands before its face
For it always dreaded a family row!
(Now mind: I'm only telling you
What the old Dutch clock declares is true!)

The Chinese plate looked very blue,
And wailed, "Oh, dear! What shall we do!"
But the gingham dog and the calico cat
Wallowed this way and tumbled that,
Employing every tooth and claw
In the awfullest way you ever saw-
And, oh! How the gingham and calico flew!
(Don't fancy I exaggerate-
I got my news from the Chinese plate!)

Next morning, where the two had sat
They found no trace of dog or cat;
And some folks think unto this day
That burglars stole that pair away!
But the truth about the cat and pup
Is this: They ate each other up!
Now what do you really think of that!
(The old Dutch clock it told me so,
And that is how I came to know.)

cuz that's a pretty goddamn godawful poem.

http://www.deuceofclubs.com/books/085worstpoet.htm

See the hint above. And note this seasonal piece by the same author.


JEST 'FORE CHRISTMAS

Father calls me William, sister calls me Will,
Mother calls me Willie, but the fellers call me Bill!
Mighty glad I ain't a girl---ruther be a boy,
Without them sashes, curls, an' things that's worn by Fauntleroy!
Love to chawnk green apples an' go swimmin' in the lake---
Hate to take the castor-ile they give for bellyache!
'Most all the time, the whole year round, there ain't no flies on me,
But jest 'fore Christmas I'm as good as I kin be!

Got a yeller dog named Sport, sick him on the cat;
First thing she knows she doesn't know where she is at!
Got a clipper sled, an' when us kids goes out to slide,
'Long comes the grocery cart, an' we all hook a ride!
But sometimes when the grocery man is worrited an' cross,
He reaches at us with his whip, an' larrups up his hoss,
An' then I laff an' holler, "Oh, ye never teched me!"
But jest 'fore Christmas I'm as good as I kin be!

Gran'ma says she hopes that when I git to be a man,
I'll be a missionarer like her oldest brother, Dan,
As was et up by the cannibuls that lives in Ceylon's Isle,
Where every prospeck pleases, an' only man is vile!
But gran'ma she has never been to see a Wild West show,
Nor read the Life of Daniel Boone, or else I guess she'd know
That Buff'lo Bill an' cowboys is good enough for me!
Excep' jest 'fore Christmas, when I'm good as I kin be!

And then old Sport he hangs around, so solemnlike an' still,
His eyes they seem a-sayin': "What's the matter, little Bill?"
The old cat sneaks down off her perch an' wonders what's become
Of them two enemies of hern that used to make things hum!
But I am so perlite an' tend so earnestly to biz,
That mother says to father: "How improved our Willie is!"
But father, havin' been a boy hisself, suspicions me
When, jest 'fore Christmas, I'm as good as I kin be!

For Christmas, with its lots an' lots of candies, cakes, an' toys,
Was made, they say, for proper kids an' not for naughty boys;
So wash yer face an' bresh yer hair, an' mind yer p's and q's,
An' don't bust out yer pantaloons, and don't wear out yer shoes;
Say "Yessum" to the ladies, and "Yessur" to the men,
An' when they's company, don't pass yer plate for pie again;
But, thinkin' of the things yer'd like to see upon that tree,
Jest 'fore Christmas be as good as yer kin be!

a

but couldn't have got it w/o the clue.... :shrug:

new mug design:

I like the mug design! Are you going to put it in a cafe shop?

and THANKS!

but, if you considering actually buying one, wait until after the holidays. i'm dropping the price by a $1 for all of them

on edit: the link to the cafe store is in my sig line.

the 'art' mugs page is linked on the main page of the store ("mugs for liberals")

find it!

i'm testing the waters.

will make sure people know about that ( and my new online home "nostamj_online" which will go live in late January (hopefully!)