Edgar Lee Masters
1868-1950"John M. Church" (From "Spoon River Anthology" – 1915)
I was attorney for the "Q"
And the Indemnity Company which insured
The owners of the mine.
I pulled the wires with judge and jury,
And the upper courts, to beat the claims
Of the crippled, the widow and orphan,
And made a fortune thereat.
The bar association sang my praises
In a high-flown resolution.
And the floral tributes were many –
But the rats devoured my heart
And a snake made a nest in my skull.
|