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| painting by William Bouguereau |
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Little Orphan Annie
Inscribed with all faith and affection.
To all the little children: -- The happy ones; and sad
ones;
The sober and the silent ones; the boisterous and glad ones;
The good ones -- Yes, the good ones, too; and all the lovely
bad ones.
Little Orphan Annie's come to
our house to stay,
And wash the cups and saucers up, and brush the crumbs away,
And shoo the chickens off the porch, and dust the hearth,
and sweep,
And make the fire, and bake the bread, and earn her board-and-keep;
And all us little children, when the supper-things are done,
We set around the kitchen fire and have such splendid fun
listening to the witch-tales that Annie tells about,
And the Goblins that get you
If you
Don't
Watch
Out!
Once there was a little boy who wouldn't say his prayers,--
And when he went to bed at night, away up-stairs,
His Mommy heard him holler, and his Daddy heard him bawl,
And when they turned the covers down, he wasn't there at
all!
And they sought him in the rafter-room, and cubby-hole, and
press,
And sought him up the chimney-flue, and everywhere, I guess;
But all they ever found was just his pants and roundabout:--
And the Goblins will get you
If you
Don't
Watch
Out!
And one time a little girl would always laugh and grin,
And make fun of everyone, and all her blood-and-kin;
And once, when there was "company," and old folks
were there,
She mocked them and shocked them, and said she didn't care!
And just as she kicked her heels, and turned to run and
hide,
There were two great big Black Things standing by her side,
And they snatched her through the ceiling before she knew what was about!
And the Goblins will get you
If you
Don't
Watch
Out!
And little Orphan Annie says, when the blaze is blue,
And the lamp-wick sputters, and the wind goes woo-oo!
And you hear the crickets quiet, and the moon is gray,
And the lightning-bugs in dew are all squelched away,--
You better mind your parents, and those fond and dear,
And cherish those who love you, and dry the orphan's tear,
And help the poor and needy ones that cluster all about,
Or the Goblins will get you
If you
Don't
Watch
Out!
~ James Whitcomb Riley
*I have edited/updated this for readability, although I think the dialect is intentional and adds to the poem's effect. This poem is about 100 years old! If you prefer to read the original version (which I actually like better!) you can find it
HERE.
