| 
 Batterson Dobyns by Edgar Lee Masters 
						Did my widow flit aboutFrom Mackinac to Los Angeles,
 Resting and bathing and sitting an hour
 Or more at the table over soup and meats
 And delicate sweets and coffee?
 I was cut down in my prime
 From overwork and anxiety.
 But I thought all along, whatever happens
 I've kept my insurance up,
 And there's something in the bank,
 And a section of land in Manitoba.
 But just as I slipped I had a vision
 In a last delirium:
 I saw myself lying nailed in a box
 With a white lawn tie and a boutonnière,
 And my wife was sitting by a window
 Some place afar overlooking the sea;
 She seemed so rested, ruddy and fat,
 Although her hair was white.
 And she smiled and said to a colored waiter:
 "Another slice of roast beef, George.
 Here's a nickel for your trouble."
 |