Pittypat and Tippytoe

Eugene Field 1850 (St. Louis) – 1895 (Chicago)



All day long they come and go--
  Pittypat and Tippytoe;
    Footprints up and down the hall,
      Playthings scattered on the floor,
    Finger-marks along the wall,
      Tell-tale smudges on the door--
  By these presents you shall know
  Pittypat and Tippytoe.
  How they riot at their play!
 And a dozen times a day
   In they troop, demanding bread--
     Only buttered bread will do,
   And the butter must be spread
     Inches thick with sugar too!
 And I never can say "No,
 Pittypat and Tippytoe!"
 Sometimes there are griefs to soothe,
 Sometimes ruffled brows to smooth;
   For (I much regret to say)
     Tippytoe and Pittypat
   Sometimes interrupt their play
     With an internecine spat;
 Fie, for shame! to quarrel so--
 Pittypat and Tippytoe!
 Oh the thousand worrying things
 Every day recurrent brings!
   Hands to scrub and hair to brush,
     Search for playthings gone amiss,
   Many a wee complaint to hush,
     Many a little bump to kiss;
 Life seems one vain, fleeting show
 To Pittypat and Tippytoe!
 And when day is at an end,
 There are little duds to mend;
   Little frocks are strangely torn,
     Little shows great holes reveal,
   Little hose, but one day worn,
     Rudely yawn at toe and heel!
 Who but you could work such woe,
 Pittypat and Tippytoe!
 On the floor and down the hall,
 Rudely smutched upon the wall,
   There are proofs in every kind
     Of the havoc they have wrought,
   And upon my heart you'd find
     Just such trade-marks, if you sought;
 Oh, how glad I am 'tis so,
 Pittypat and Tippytoe!

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

1:16 min read
141

Quick analysis:

Scheme aBcdcdaBebbbbbaBffebebaBgghihiabbbjkjkaBccbbbbaB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,515
Words 255
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 48

Eugene Field

Eugene Field, Sr. was an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays. more…

All Eugene Field poems | Eugene Field Books

2 fans

Discuss the poem Pittypat and Tippytoe with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Pittypat and Tippytoe" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 Oct. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/13030/pittypat-and-tippytoe>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    October 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    0
    days
    4
    hours
    28
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who was “admirably schooled in every grace”?
    A Richard Cory
    B Odysseus
    C J. Alfred Prufrock
    D Miniver Cheevy