[Dearest Mister Hoosier Poet,]
The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Indiana, October 13, 1913
Dearest Mister Hoosier Poet,
I'm a grownup, an' I know it,
An' I hate it, too, like sin.
Wish't I wuz a kid agin!
Wish't I wuz a kid agin,
So's to drop my po'try in
At the gay and gladsome hour
Of the famous po'try shower.
Po'try showers is great, you bet!
Ain't like rain showers, cold an' wet;
Kind o' warmin' like, I'm guessin',
'T'll be more like showers o' blessin'.
Hope it will bring blessin's to you;
Hope the warmth 'll go clear through you;
Hope you'll feel so glad and gay
'At you'll ist write pomes all day.
Hope you'll write about a hundred,
One for each o' us that's blundered,
Thinkin' we could write a rhyme,
'Cause it wuz your birthday time.