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Friday, June 30, 2023

the captain


by horace p sternwall




a bankrupt banker named godfrey grouse
lived in the attic of an abandoned house
he played chopin etudes on an old oil drum
and considered the neighbors philistine scum

very different was miss deville
who lived in the house at the top of the hill
and treated the tradesmen in a civilized way
when they presented the bills she could never pay

miss deville had a servant named wilma worth
who had been singled out from birth
for reasons that have never been clear
because you know how people talk, my dear

wilma had a gentleman friend
who drove old number 9 around the bend
he called himself captain captain, not casey, jones
and he courted wilma in sepulchral tones

the captain married wilma in june
and told her he would be back soon
then he headed on down the line
where he is still looking for a good time

the world is always new
to an old yellow dog named blue
who never howls at the moon
because he will be a wolf again soon



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