An Appreciative Audience
Ringgold Wilmer Lardner 1885 (Niles, Michigan) – 1933 (East Hampton, New York)
My son, I wish that it were half
As easy to extract a laugh
From grown-ups as from thee.
Then I'd go on the stage, my boy,
While Richard Carle and Eddie Foy
Burned up with jealousy.
I wouldn't have to rack my brain
Or lie awake all night in vain
Pursuit of brand new jokes;
Nor fear my lines were heard with groans
Of pain and sympathetic moans
From sympathetic folks.
I'd merely have to make a face,
Just twist a feature out of place,
And be the soul of wit;
Or bark, and then pretend to bite,
And, from the screams of wild delight,
Be sure I'd made a hit.
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Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 35 sec read
- 8 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABCCB DDEFFE GGHIIH |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 546 |
Words | 114 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6 |
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"An Appreciative Audience" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/56467/an-appreciative-audience>.
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