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A Life's Story, In Poetry. Other Poems cover

A Life's Story, In Poetry. Other Poems

Chapter 16: WRIGHTS
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About This Book

A first-person poetic memoir traces a long life from childhood into advanced age, following the speaker through apprenticeship, various manual trades, migration and settlement, home‑building, and the daily labor that sustains family life. Episodes of technological change, economic hardship, fire, illness, and bereavement punctuate the narrative while concrete details of workshops, mills, and tools underscore a craftsman’s practical perspective. The wider collection mixes tones and forms, offering satirical and reflective pieces, domestic and seasonal verses, and occasional topical poems including an argument in favor of woman's suffrage.

WRIGHTS

* * * *
(Dennison Woodcock.)
* * * *

Among the spurs of Allegheny
  Lofty hills with wooded heights,
Nestled in the Portage Valley
  Is the little hamlet Wrights.
Hamilton and Portage Valley
  By right angles, here unite;
Both together make a fairly
  Good and level village site.

Limpid streams unto the river
  On their way go babbling by;
While the silvery pools, they mirror
  Cloudlets floating in the sky.
Growing grain and verdant meadows,
  Fields of corn, silos to fill;
Winding streams and waving willows
  Orchards on the sloping hill.

Cattle grazing in the pasture
  On the hillside fresh and green,
With their coats of silky luster,
  Many goats and kids are seen.
There's the schoolhouse at the corner,
  Quiet order there appears,
Where the earnest studious learners
  Are prepared for future years.

There's the church with lofty steeple,
  And the old bell hanging there,
Often rings to call the people
  To their sermon, praise and prayer.
Another church they are building,
  The foundation they have laid;
May the golden truth be gilding
  All the words that there are said.

On the switch the cars are loaded
  With potatoes, grain and hay,
So the farmers are commoded
  As they ship their goods away.
Hark! we hear the train a-rumbling.
  People waiting for a ride;
Four times a day the mail is coming,
  All aboard! Away they glide.

There's the store nearby the railroad.,
  Business humming every day;
Goods are brought there by the carload
  Many teams draw them away.
Another store where the farmer
  Buys the tools that he may need;
From a reaper to a hammer,
  Groceries with feed and seed.

The factory where they make the cheeses,
  Great round cheeses, just the thing
What the most the patron pleases
  Is the cash the cheeses bring.
Here the honest, frugal farmers
  With the help of care and toil,
Bringing wealth into their garners,
  Drawing money from the soil.
Smiles play on the the neighbors' faces,
  Accent of fraternal love,
While at many times and places,
Kindly deeds their friendship prove.