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Poetry Archives

A continuing selection of classic and contemporary poems.

John M. Church

Edgar Lee Masters

I was attorney for the “Q”
And the Indemnity Company which insured
The owners of the mine.
I pulled the wires with judge and jury,
And the upper courts, to beat the claims
Of the crippled, the widow and orphan,
And made a fortune thereat.
The bar association sang my praises
In a high-flown resolution.
And the floral tributes were many—
But the rats devoured my heart
And a snake made a nest in my skull!
Online text © 1998-2008 Poetry X. All rights reserved.
From Spoon River Anthology | 1915
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