AMONG THE POETS.

Southland Times, Issue 21273, 19 December 1930, Page 14

AMONG THE POETS.

A Yuletide Drcam. (By Philemon the Plea.) This is a dream I had the other night, That broke my slumbers with an awful fright, As, whirling like a highly-liquored sun A pride of poets appeared to me as one, And sang their anthems in a range of keys Defying even jazz’s harmonies. They leaped and twirled like dervishes that dance, Maintaining all the while some weird chants, In which 1 could detect at different whiles The soloists in individual styles. "Awake” sang one, “and hop out of your bed Or you will find yourself most sadly left —■ Now’s the time, get this into your head, To purchase gifts or else, of time bereft You’ll find yourself fit. only for carouse In Seacliff’s very noted giggle-house. An aid to education: give a phrase In which ‘potato’ is—don’t be a dud. The answer is: ‘Upon bitumen ways The motor maniac has swiftly spud.’ ” And then upon mv mind began to dawn The fact that I was listening to .Shaun Then came a pause and then t heard a song, Not very short and also not too long, Of fellows who’d make good in minstrelsy No 737 in an anthology "The trees are bare Along the tortured street, And Humbert Wolfe I’d dearly wish to meet. We trade in yarns And I would make him curse By using what he’d said To make up verse.” A crack of whips, the lowing of a herd, Wooloongaroo or some such chiming word And 1 was hearing, I could bet a deaner The verses of the Aussie “Riverina.” "When Bill was bust he left Baroonga pub, His swag well loaded with the hotel grub And I would like to find out if the cow Has gone back to the Wongaratta now.” Soft viols and the luscious saxophone Made music of the very latest moan, And lithe and long in undulating rhythm, The phases moves—l could do nothing with ’em. Though I will bet the effort nearly killed her; Still there it was the essence of Brunnhilde. Clotted dark and stars emotional as seen by one who from the bars devotional emerges and upon the verges of the day evokes a passioned boom stubbing his toe upon a lump of gloom._ Then I awoke—mine eyes with fear were popping, And glady I went out to do my chopping.