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Palace in the Popple
- University of Iowa Press
- Chapter
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Palace in the Popple It's a smoky, raunchy boars' nest With an unswept, drafty floor And pillowticking curtains And knife scars on the door. The smell of a pine-knot fire From a stovepipe that's come loose Mingles sweetly with the bootgrease And the Copenhagen snoose. There are work-worn .30-30s With battered, steel-shod stocks And drying lines of longjohns And of steaming, pungent socks. There's a table for the Bloody Four And their game of two-card draw, And there's deep and dreamless sleeping On bunk ticks stuffed with straw. 31 Palace in the Popple It'" a smoky, raunchy boars' nest With an unswept, drafty floor And pHlowtkking curtains And knife "cars on the door. The smell of ~ pine-knot fire From a stovepipe that's COme loose Mingles sweetly with the bootgreue And the Copenh~gen "noose, There ue work_worn ..30·305 With ballered, steel_shod stocks And drying lines of longiohns And of stuming. pungent socb. There's ~ t~ble for the Bloody Four And their g.ame of two_c~rd draw, And there'. deep and dreamless sleeping On bunk ticki stuffed with straw. Palace in the Popple It'" a smoky, raunchy boars' nest With an unswept, drafty floor And pHlowtkking curtains And knife "cars on the door. The smell of ~ pine-knot fire From a stovepipe that's COme loose Mingles sweetly with the bootgreue And the Copenh~gen "noose, There ue work_worn ..30·305 With ballered, steel_shod stocks And drying lines of longiohns And of stuming. pungent socb. There's ~ t~ble for the Bloody Four And their g.ame of two_c~rd draw, And there'. deep and dreamless sleeping On bunk ticki stuffed with straw. 32 JOHN MADSON Jerry and Jake stand by the stove, Their gun-talk loud and hot, And Bogie has drawn a pair of kings And is raking in the pot. Frank's been drafted again as cook And is peeling some spuds for stew While Bruce wanders by in baggy drawers Reciting /lOan McGrew." No where on earth is fire so warm Nor coffee so infernal Nor whiskers so stiff, jokes so rich, Nor hope blooming so eternal. A man can live for a solid week In the same old underbritches And walk like a man and spit where he wants And scratch himself where he itches. I tell you, boys, there's no place else Where I'd rather be, come fall, Where I eat like a bear and sing like a wolf And feel like I'm bull-pine tall. In that raunchy cabin out in the bush In the land of the raven and loon, With a tracking snow lying new to the ground At the end of the rutting moon. 32 JOHN MADSON Jerry and Jake stand by the stove, Their gun-talk loud and hot, And Bogie has drawn a pair of kings And is raking in the pot. Frank's been drafted again as cook And is peeling some spuds for stew While Bruce wanders by in baggy drawers Reciting "Dan McGrew." No where on earth is fire so warm Nor coffee so infernal Nor whiskers so stiff, jokes so rich, Nor hope blooming so eternal. A man can live for a solid week In the same old underbritches And walk like a man and spit where he wants And scratch himself where he itches. I tell you, boys, there's no place else Where I'd rather be, come fall, Where I eat like a bear and sing like a wolf And feel like I'm bull-pine tall. In that raunchy cabin out in the bush In the land of the raven and loon, With a tracking snow lying new to the ground At the end of the rutting moon. 32 JOHN MADSON Jerry and Jake stand by the stove, Their gun-talk loud and hot, And Bogie has drawn a pair of kings And is raking in the pot. Frank's been drafted again as cook And is peeling some spuds for stew While Bruce wanders by in baggy drawers Reciting "Dan McGrew." No where on earth is fire so warm Nor coffee so infernal Nor whiskers so stiff, jokes so rich, Nor hope blooming so eternal. A man can live for a solid week In the same old underbritches And walk like a man and spit where he wants And scratch himself where he itches. I tell you, boys, there's no place else...