Wit and Humor of America, The Vol 04

<h2><SPAN name="AN_APRIL_ARIA" id="AN_APRIL_ARIA"></SPAN>AN APRIL ARIA</h2> <h3>BY R.K. MUNKITTRICK</h3> <div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">Now, in the shimmer and sheen that dance on the leaf of the lily,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Causing the bud to explode, and gilding the poodle's chinchilla,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Gladys cavorts with the rake, and hitches the string to the lattice,<br/></span> <span class="i0">While with the trowel she digs, and gladdens the heart of the shanghai.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">Now, while the vine twists about the ribs of the cast-iron Pallas,<br/></span> <span class="i0">And, on the zephyr afloat, the halcyon soul of the borax<br/></span> <span class="i0">Blends with the scent of the soap, the brush of the white-washer's flying<br/></span> <span class="i0">E'en as the chicken-hawk flies when ready to light on its quarry.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">Out in the leaf-dappled wood the dainty hepatica's blowing,<br/></span> <span class="i0">While the fiend hammers the rug from Ispahan, Lynn, or Woonsocket,<br/></span> <span class="i0">And the grim furnace is out, and over the ash heap and bottles<br/></span> <span class="i0">Capers the "Billy" in glee, becanning his innermost Billy.<br/></span><span class='pagenum'><SPAN name="Page_712" id="Page_712"></SPAN></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">Now the blue pill is on tap, and likewise the sarsaparilla,<br/></span> <span class="i0">And on the fence and the barn, quite worthy of S. Botticelli,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Frisk the lithe leopard and gnu, in malachite, purple, and crimson,<br/></span> <span class="i0">That we may know at a glance the circus is out on the rampage.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">Put then the flannels away and trot out the old linen duster,<br/></span> <span class="i0">Pack the bob-sled in the barn, and bring forth the baseball and racket,<br/></span> <span class="i0">For the spry Spring is on deck, performing her roseate breakdown<br/></span> <span class="i0">Unto the tune of the van that rattles and bangs on the cobbles.<br/></span> <span class='pagenum'><SPAN name="Page_713" id="Page_713"></SPAN></span></div> </div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />