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Spoon River Anthology - Penn State University

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<strong>Spoon</strong> <strong>River</strong> <strong>Anthology</strong><br />

John Ballar<br />

allard<br />

IN the lust of my strength<br />

I cursed God, but he paid no attention to me:<br />

I might as well have cursed the stars.<br />

In my last sickness I was in agony, but I was resolute<br />

And I cursed God for my suffering;<br />

Still He paid no attention to me;<br />

He left me alone, as He had always done.<br />

I might as well have cursed the Presbyterian steeple.<br />

Then, as I grew weaker, a terror came over me:<br />

Perhaps I had alienated God by cursing him.<br />

One day Lydia Humphrey brought me a bouquet<br />

And it occurred to me to try to make friends with God,<br />

So I tried to make friends with Him;<br />

But I might as well have tried to make friends with the bouquet.<br />

Now I was very close to the secret,<br />

For I really could make friends with the bouquet<br />

By holding close to me the love in me for the bouquet<br />

And so I was creeping upon the secret, but—<br />

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