| Harriet Monroe, ed. (1860–1936). Poetry: A Magazine of Verse. 1912–22. | | | | Dilemma | | By John V. A. Weaver |
| | | GEE, she’s sweet! So sorta eyes wide open | |
| And shiny, like the street-lights do at night | |
| When rain is on the sidewalk. They’s a somethin’ | |
| About the way her whole face has that light | |
| |
| Whenever she looks at me. It always says, | 5 |
| “I believe in you! Oh, I believe in you!” | |
| That face like a little flower, starin’ at me— | |
| It scares me! What should I do? What can I do? | |
| |
| I tell her not to go and dream about me, | |
| I ain’t no fine guy, and I tell her so; | 10 |
| She keeps on thinkin’ I’m just kiddin’ her | |
| And answers back, “You can’t fool me! I know!” | |
| |
| And just to think, that lovely dream about me | |
| Has got to smash all up some awful day | |
| When she finds out the way that I am really…. | 15 |
| It’ll hurt her so … I ought to get away | |
| |
| Where she can’t never see me any more, | |
| Before that dream and all that sweetness dies…. | |
| But can I do it? Can I do without her? | |
| Can I stand not seein’ that lovin’ in her eyes? | 20 | | | |
|
|
