Courtship - A poem by John T. Vanderlip

Courtship.

I have often thought about the distant past,
And of what a stupid fool I was when young;
And of how I used to fall in love so fast^__
Of the stories that I told and songs I sung.

One time I thought I loved a pretty maid,
And believed the pretty maid cared for me;
We sat one summer evening in the shade
Of a tau and spreading silver maple tree.

And we talked about the birds and trees and flowers
Of Astronomy and botany, and books, [ers,
Of cyclones, hurricanes and thunder showers-
Then I told the lady how I liked her looks. ,cfi

For half an hour we idly sat and sparked,
And I thought of asking her to change her name;
When I told her how I loved her, she remarked:
"About half a dozen have said the same."

Then I was disappointed, so I never
Requested her to share my humble lot;
Perhaps I am as big a fool as ever^__
She is married now, and I am not.

^__John T. Vanderlip.

Poets and Poetry of Kansas
Edited by Thomas W. Herringshaw
(Chicago: American Publishers' Association. 1894)
Page 300