Classic Poem

The Conservative Reader

In days of old when rhymes were bold,
And ballads held their sway,
The poems would swing like anything,
And songs were brave and gay.

In olden times when verse had rhymes,
And poetry had fetters,
Those were the days of roundelays
And bards in love with letters.

I see no longer simple song,
And lyric limitation.
— Damn everything, — the moderns sing,
— Including punctuation. —

— Let freedom ring! — the moderns sing.
— Our verse is free and winging! —
It fails to fly, and rarely I
Detect the sound of singing.

I don't object to intellect,
(I love the ninth dimension),
But as a rule the modern school
Is past my comprehension.

I like to read the rhymes unfreed!
I crave 'em, I demand 'em.
Till death I'll fight for those who write
So I can understand 'em.English