Nature Sonnets (By the Village Poet)

Last night the old horse got cast in his stall;

     Got down and cast for fair, nudged in so tight

     He couldn’t wiggle hand nor foot; his plight

None of us would have known about at all

Except he give to pa a signal call.

     Pa went out to look at the sky at nine,

     The old horse heard him ‘n’ give a mournful whine.

And pa found him rolled up just like a ball.

He grabbed an axe to knock a board away;

     The horse, I reckon, thought ‘twas meant for him,

He jumped straight up and give a frightened “neigh”,

     An’ stood there tremblin’-like  in every limb.

“Confound yer skin!” Says pa, getting’ a curse word in,

“I’m half a mind to knock you down ag’in!”

Dec. 2, 1910