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James Whitcomb Riley - In Bohemia
Work rating: Low

Ha! My dear! I`m back again--
    Vendor of Bohemia`s wares!
  Lordy! How it pants a man
    Climbing up those awful stairs!
      Well, I`ve made the dealer say
      Your sketch _might_ sell, anyway!
      And I`ve made a publisher
      Hear my poem, Kate, my dear.

  In Bohemia, Kate, my dear--
    Lodgers in a musty flat
  On the top floor--living here
    Neighborless, and used to that,--
      Like a nest beneath the eaves,
      So our little home receives
      Only guests of chirping cheer--
      We`ll be happy, Kate, my dear!

  Under your north-light there, you
    At your easel, with a stain
  On your nose of Prussian blue,
    Paint your bits of shine and rain;
      With my feet thrown up at will
      O`er my littered window-sill,
      I write rhymes that ring as clear
      As your laughter, Kate, my dear.

  Puff my pipe, and stroke my hair--
    Bite my pencil-tip and gaze
  At you, mutely mooning there
    O`er your "Aprils" and your "Mays!"
      Equal inspiration in
      Dimples of your cheek and chin,
      And the golden atmosphere
      Of your paintings, Kate, my dear!

  _Trying_! Yes, at times it is,
    To clink happy rhymes, and fling
  On the canvas scenes of bliss,
    When we are half famishing!--
      When your "jersey" rips in spots,
      And your hat`s "forget-me-nots"
      Have grown tousled, old and sere--
      It is trying, Kate, my dear!

  But--as sure--_some_ picture sells,
    And--sometimes--the poetry--
  Bless us! How the parrot yells
    His acclaims at you and me!
      How we revel then in scenes
      Of high banqueting!--sardines--
      Salads--olives--and a sheer
      Pint of sherry, Kate, my dear!

  Even now I cross your palm,
    With this great round world of gold!--
  "Talking wild?" Perhaps I am--
    Then, this little five-year-old!--
      Call it anything you will,
      So it lifts your face until
      I may kiss away that tear
      Ere it drowns me, Kate, my dear.
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