Living
O. Henry
From The Old Soldier's Story (1915)
O. Henry, Afrite-chef of all delight!--
Of all delectables conglomerate
That stay the starved brain and rejuvenate
The mental man. Th' esthetic appetite--
So long anhungered that its "in'ards" fight
And growl gutwise,--its pangs thou dost abate
And all so amiably alleviate,
Joy pats its belly as a hobo might
Who haply hath attained a cherry pie
With no burnt bottom in it, ner no seeds--
Nothin' but crispest crust, and thickness fit,
And squshin'-juicy, and jes' mighty nigh
Too dratted drippin'-sweet fer human needs,
But fer the sosh of milk that goes with it.
Cite this poem
MLA
Riley, James Whitcomb. “O. Henry.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/riley/508/.
Chicago
Riley, James Whitcomb. “O. Henry.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/riley/508/.
Read this poem with the Codex →