New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-11
BUCKEYES.
By James Whitcomb Riley.

What is Buckeyes good feri what's
Pneys and fergitmenots,
Honeysuckles and sweet peas,
And sweet-williamsuZ and these
Johnny Jumps every where
CROWN round the roots o trees
In spring weather what air they
Good fer-kin ye tell me-hey'
Good 10 look at Well, they air!-
Specially when winters gone.
Clean dead certain! and the WOODS
Green agin. and sun feels goods
June and shed yer blame boots on
me back porch and lit out To
Roam round. like YOU ust TO do,
Barefoot up and down the cricK-
Where the buckeyes growed so thick,
And And E Saeaberries and and Black Raws-
With wild pizen-vines iis knit
over and ennunder IT,
And wove round it all. ling!
Tel ye couldn't hardly stick
A durn case knife through the thing!
All het up and scratched and tanned,
And muskeeterbit and mean
Feeln', you come out aGln.
Student like. ont on a clean
Slopn' little hump o. green
Dry soft grass. as fine and grand
As a poller sofy And
Jis pile down there and tell mo
Anywhcres you'd ruther be
'Cepiin' right there. with the wild.
NlONelS all lOullu Nt, anu yer Cy
Smlin' with 'em at the skies
Happy a. a little child.
Well!-risht here. want to say
Poets kin talk all they please
iBOut wild flowers. IN cOlOG> CAV
And sweet blossoms hauntin' their
Beauteous fragrance on the breeze
But the sight o. buckeyes lis
Sweet TO me a. blossoms is!
I'm OhiO-bOrn-right where
Peoples all called Buckeyes thsrs-
Cause, s'pose. our buckeye craps
Biggest in the world perhaps
Ncr my head don't stretch my has
Too much on account o that
Cause it's Natures ginerOus hand
SowS em broadcast DER the land,
With owe single fer Mans good,
And the gineral neighberhood!
So buckeyes fist natchurly
Pears like kith and kin 10 mel
: like the good old sayin' WIS,
Purity Is purity does =
Buckeyes common as kin be
We cant eat EN-. cooked or raw
Et, | mind. tommattusSuZ
WuE considered pizenoUs
wunSt. and dassnt eat EN- !-PshAwI
'rwouldH't take me by surprise,
some day, II we ct buckeyes
That, though. : nuthcr here ner there
Js the buckeye. where we air,
In the present times. is what
Occupies my lovin' care
And my most perfoundcSt thought!
Guess, this minute. what I get
In my pocket. at I've packed
PIrt' nigh forty year. \ dry,
Slick and shiny. warped and cracked,
Wilted. weaZcned old buckeye!
What's il there fer! What's my heart
In my breast fer 'Causc it's part
OF my life-and tends 10 biz
Same aS buckeyes : bourd 10 act
Cause they tend 10 rhumauz
ketChcd more rhumitlZ than fsh,
Seinin'. wunst and pants froze on
Ny blame legs And uSt 10 wish
! wuZ we'll er dead ana gone
Doc gave mp the case. and shod
His old hOSS asin, and stayed
ON good roads And there / laidI
Pap he tuck some bluegrass sod
STEPPED In whiskcy. bi!in hot,
And sOcked that on! Then got
Sorto' holt % him-somehow-
Kndo crazy like. they say
And I'd killed him, like rs not.
Ef | hadn't swoOned away.
Smell my scOrtchcd pelt purt' nigh now.
We'll, To make long tale short,
| hung on the blame disease
Like a Shawn boss and sort
o. wore il out by slow degrees
Tel nv legs was straight enough
To r~ke through my pants aSln
And Kick all the docter-stuf
In the fireplace. Then turned n
Aud tuck Daddy Caig's old kyore-
Jls a buckeye, and that's slloge -
Uain't no case o. rhumatlz
Kin subsist where buckeyes Is!