A Lounger Poem by James Whitcomb Riley

A Lounger

Rating: 2.8


He leant against a lamp-post, lost
In some mysterious reverie:
His head was bowed; his arms were crossed;
He yawned, and glanced evasively:
Uncrossed his arms, and slowly put
Them back again, and scratched his side--
Shifted his weight from foot to foot,
And gazed out no-ward, idle-eyed.

Grotesque of form and face and dress,
And picturesque in every way--
A figure that from day to day
Drooped with a limper laziness;
A figure such as artists lean,
In pictures where distress is seen,
Against low hovels where we guess
No happiness has ever been.

Friday, April 9, 2010
Topic(s) of this poem: laziness
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Susan Williams 08 October 2015

He paints a vivid picture of the idle man- I wonder if we see him differently- I see a corrupt man waiting to do something nefarious from the shadows where he waits

29 0 Reply
Colleen Courtney 10 May 2014

An introspective piece. Wonder why so down and out?

1 0 Reply
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James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley

Greenfield, Indiana
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