Spats
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
When young I was a Socialist
Despite my tender years;
No blessed chance I ever missed
To slam the profiteers.
Yet though a fanatic I was,
And cursed aristocrats,
The Party chucked me out because
I sported Spats.
Aye, though on soap boxes I stood,
And spouted in the parks,
They grizzled that my foot-wear would
Be disavowed my Marx.
It's buttons of a pearly sheen
Bourgois they deemed and thus
They told me; 'You must choose between
Your spats and us.'
Alas! I loved my gaitered feet
Of smoothly fitting fawn;
They were so snappy and so neat,
A gift from Uncle John
Who had a fortune in the Bank
That one day might be mine:
'Give up my spats!' said I, 'I thank
You--but resign.'
Today when red or pink I see
In stripy pants of state,
I think of how they lost in me
A demon of debate.
I muse as leaders strut about
In frock-coats and high hats . . .
The bloody party chucked me out
Because of Spats.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 52 sec read
- 111 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | XAXAXBXB CDCDEFEF GXGXHIHI JKJKLBLB |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,035 |
Words | 176 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
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"Spats" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/32450/spats>.
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