Again I hear that creaking step!–
He’s rapping at the door!–
Too well I know the boding sound
That ushers in a bore.
I do not tremble when I meet
The stoutest of my foes,
But Heaven defend me from the friend
Who comes–but never goes!
He drops into my easy chair,
And asks about the news,
He peers into my manuscript,
And gives his candid views;
He tells me where he likes the line,
And where he’s forced to grieve;
He takes the strangest liberties,–
But never takes his leave!
He reads my daily paper through
Before I’ve seen a word;
He scans the lyric (that I wrote),
And thinks it quite absurd;
He calmly smokes my last cigar,
And coolly asks for more;
He opens everything he sees–
Except the entry door!
He talks about his fragile health,
And tells me of the pains
He suffers from a score of ills
Of which he ne’er complains;
And how he struggled once with Death
To keep the fiend at bay;
On themes like those away he goes–
But never goes away!
He tells me of the carping words
Some shallow critic wrote;
And every precious paragraph
Familiarly can quote;
He thinks the writer did me wrong;
He’d like to run him through!
He says a thousand pleasant things–
But never says, “Adieu!”
Whene’er he comes–that dreadful man–
Disguise it as I may,
I know that, like an Autumn rain,
He’ll last throughout the day.
In vain I scowl and pout;
A frown is no extinguisher–
It does not put him out!
I mean to take the knocker off,
Put crepe upon the door,
Or hint to John that I am gone
To stay a month or more.
I do not tremble when I meet
The stoutest of my foes,
But Heaven defend me from the friend
Who never, never goes!
(John Godfrey Saxe)
More Poetry from John Godfrey Saxe:
John Godfrey Saxe Poems based on Topics: Friendship, Media & News, Sadness, Boredom, Autumn, Health, Quotations- King Solomon And The Bees (John Godfrey Saxe Poems)
- Rhyme of the Rail (John Godfrey Saxe Poems)
- Early Rising (John Godfrey Saxe Poems)
- How Cyrus Laid the Cable (John Godfrey Saxe Poems)
- A Persian Tale (John Godfrey Saxe Poems)
- Love and Lucre (John Godfrey Saxe Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Sadness Poems, Friendship Poems, Autumn Poems, Health Poems, Boredom Poems, Media & News Poems, Quotations PoemsBased on Keywords: familiarly, knocker, crêpe, rapping, carping, extinguisher, comes-but