The Ghosts
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
Said Lenin's ghost to Stalin's ghost:
"Mate with me in the Tomb;
Then day by day the rancid host
May gaze upon our doom.
A crystal casket we will share;
Come, crusty Comrade come,
And we will bear the public stare,
Ad nauseum."
Said Stalin's spook to Lenin's spook:
"Long have you held your place.
The masses must be bored to look
Upon your chemic face.
A change might be a good idear,
And though I pity you,
There is within the Tomb, I fear,
No room for two."
Said Lenin's wraith to Stalin's wraith:
"You're welcome to my job;
Let millions of our mighty faith
Gaze on your noble nob.
So when to goodly earth I've gone,
(And I'll be glad to go),
Your carrion can carry on
Our waxwork show."
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 24, 2023
- 42 sec read
- 149 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCXCBXDXDCEXE FGFGXHXH |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 784 |
Words | 137 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 16, 8 |
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"The Ghosts" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/32542/the-ghosts>.
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