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Toboggan
by
Benjamin Franklin King


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Down from the hills and over the snow
Swift as a meteor's flash we go,
     Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!
Down from the hills with our senses lost,
Jealous of cheeks that are kissed by the frost,
     Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!
With snow piled high on housetop and hill,
O'er frozen rivulet, river, and rill,
Clad in her jacket of sealskin and fur,
Down from the hills I'm sliding with her,
     Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!
Down from the hills, what an awful speed!
As if on the back of a frightened steed,
     Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!
Down from the hills at the rise of the moon,
Merrily singing the toboggan tune,
     "Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!"
Down from the hills like an arrow we fly,
Or a comet that whizzes along through the sky;
Down from the hills! Oh, isn't it grand!
Clasping your best winter girl by the hand,
     Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!
Down from the hills and both growing old,
Down from the hills we are nearing the fold:
     Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!
Close to the homestead we hear the ring
Of children's voices that cheerily sing,
     "Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!"
Down from the hills and we hear the chime
Of bells that are ringing out Old Father Time;
Down from the hills we are riding away,
Nearing the life with its endless day;
     Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!


This poem is in the public domain.

 

 


Benjamin Franklin King (1857 - 1894) was born in St. Joseph, Michigan, and first garnered fame as a sort of American Mozart. A child prodigy who delighted audiences with his prowess at the piano, Benjamin eventually applied his talent for humor and satire to writing poetry. His work was frequently published in leading newspapers and journals of his day, and after his death, which occurred while he was on a reading tour, the Chicago Press Club put together a collection of his poems and had it published. The book was a bestseller for many years.

 

 


Post New Comment:
barbsteff:
All that's missing is the inevitable crash that leaves the toboggon in pieces!
Posted 12/30/2019 01:21 PM
carlpalmer:
"Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!" Cheerful
Posted 12/30/2019 12:30 PM
jerithompson:
Too many Toboggans! Slowed this ride down incredibly! Really nice otherwise.
Posted 12/30/2019 09:10 AM
cork:
It's nice to see the use of repetition in a poem.
Posted 12/30/2019 09:07 AM
michael escoubas:
Really like King's hurtling verse; he takes the reader with him all the way down and down and down! A posthumous thank you to Benjamin King.
Posted 12/30/2019 08:04 AM


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