Woods Hole poem by Madeleine Munro: Summer 1924
A poem written by a friend who stayed with the Stokeys in Woods Hole in the summer of 1924. I've given it a date of August, but I don't know if that's correct. Anyway, it sounds like fun!
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I wonder if Madeleine Munro's English accent was the same as Kathleen Farmer Stokey's English accent.
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WOODS HOLE, MASS., U.S.A., Summer, 1924.
Alphabet written on the way to Boston after a happy fortnight never to be forgotten - by M.M.
A is for Alma, our versatile Aunt -
She is botanist, hostess, mechanic, or "jaunt."
B is for Billy, beloved by each one,
For his sturdy good humour and his smile like the sun.
C for the cereal, all ready mixed -
Or being in the U.S.A. should we say fixed?
D for dissections of tender young chickens,
Whose joints were discovered by sundry incisions.
E is for Eva, our still younger Aunt,
I've tried to describe her but really I can't.
F for the four full nottles of milk,
Carried safely by Roger, with hair soft as silk.
G for the gutters, a name that's applied
To what in old England is best left aside.
H for the hat-boxes seen at the station;
No one could count them - their number was legion.
I is for ingenuity, which
Marks all the Stokeys and makes life with them rich.
J for the journey from the far coast of Georgia;
It lasted three days and the train was a black(i)er.
K is for Kathleen - dear Mother of four -
Would that we knew such others a score.
L for the lobsters demolished with relish,
Together with other supurb local "shell-fish."
L also for Lábōrātóry in full;
In England it would not scan nearly so well.
M is for Margaret, tall and still shooting,
Happily here there is small need for booting.
N for the nonsense distinctly nocturnal.
Can you explain the local dispersal?
O for the oven from which came forth cookes:
Ginger, molasses, or Aunt Alma's blueb'ries.
P is for Pickle - dear little maid.
Will she grow up more gay or more staid?
Q for the questions propounded by Roger:
Why, Where, When? or sometimes p'r'aps Whither?
R for the rolled hats shipped from old England.
They're splendid for travel because you can pack them.
S for the Spirituals sung by Aunt Eva -
Sweetly, caressingly, in full sincerity.
T for the trunk dispatched by dear Daddy,
Spotted by Pickle down at the Railway.
U for the umteen happy bright days,
Enjoyed to the full by "yours always."
V for the vigour displayed by the young -
Often in muscle - Does this include tongue?
W for the waves, warm, wondrous to feel,
One's blood remains normal and does not congeal.
X for the 'Xodus down to the shore,
When Daddy's old bathing suit clad two or more!
Y for our youth renewed day by day,
In fresh air, in sunshine, in surf and salt spray.
Z for the zeal with which we pursued
All expeditions, our "swims" and our food.
Alphabet written on the way to Boston after a happy fortnight never to be forgotten - by M.M.
A is for Alma, our versatile Aunt -
She is botanist, hostess, mechanic, or "jaunt."
B is for Billy, beloved by each one,
For his sturdy good humour and his smile like the sun.
C for the cereal, all ready mixed -
Or being in the U.S.A. should we say fixed?
D for dissections of tender young chickens,
Whose joints were discovered by sundry incisions.
E is for Eva, our still younger Aunt,
I've tried to describe her but really I can't.
F for the four full nottles of milk,
Carried safely by Roger, with hair soft as silk.
G for the gutters, a name that's applied
To what in old England is best left aside.
H for the hat-boxes seen at the station;
No one could count them - their number was legion.
I is for ingenuity, which
Marks all the Stokeys and makes life with them rich.
J for the journey from the far coast of Georgia;
It lasted three days and the train was a black(i)er.
K is for Kathleen - dear Mother of four -
Would that we knew such others a score.
L for the lobsters demolished with relish,
Together with other supurb local "shell-fish."
L also for Lábōrātóry in full;
In England it would not scan nearly so well.
M is for Margaret, tall and still shooting,
Happily here there is small need for booting.
N for the nonsense distinctly nocturnal.
Can you explain the local dispersal?
O for the oven from which came forth cookes:
Ginger, molasses, or Aunt Alma's blueb'ries.
P is for Pickle - dear little maid.
Will she grow up more gay or more staid?
Q for the questions propounded by Roger:
Why, Where, When? or sometimes p'r'aps Whither?
R for the rolled hats shipped from old England.
They're splendid for travel because you can pack them.
S for the Spirituals sung by Aunt Eva -
Sweetly, caressingly, in full sincerity.
T for the trunk dispatched by dear Daddy,
Spotted by Pickle down at the Railway.
U for the umteen happy bright days,
Enjoyed to the full by "yours always."
V for the vigour displayed by the young -
Often in muscle - Does this include tongue?
W for the waves, warm, wondrous to feel,
One's blood remains normal and does not congeal.
X for the 'Xodus down to the shore,
When Daddy's old bathing suit clad two or more!
Y for our youth renewed day by day,
In fresh air, in sunshine, in surf and salt spray.
Z for the zeal with which we pursued
All expeditions, our "swims" and our food.
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1.
The ages of the Will's children in the summer of 1924 were:
Maggie (Margaret): 11
Billy: 7
Kay (Kathleen/Pickle): 5
Roger: 3
2.
F for the four full nottles of milk,
Carried safely by Roger, with hair soft as silk.
It must have been bottles, of course, and I like to imagine my three-and-a-half-year old father carefully carrying them - for whatever reason.
3.
M is for Margaret, tall and still shooting,
Happily here there is small need for booting.
Neither of Maggie's parents was much over five feet tall, and I remember my Aunt Maggie (the one time I met her) as being short, but never mind, she was getting taller.
4.
S for the Spirituals sung by Aunt Eva -
Sweetly, caressingly, in full sincerity.
Aunt Eva was a contralto, so I can imagine that she did indeed sing spirituals beautifully. It surprises me that she chose to sing them, but I wish I could have heard her.
5.
W for the waves, warm, wondrous to feel,
One's blood remains normal and does not congeal.
So Madeleine was used to colder water at home in England?
The ages of the Will's children in the summer of 1924 were:
Maggie (Margaret): 11
Billy: 7
Kay (Kathleen/Pickle): 5
Roger: 3
2.
F for the four full nottles of milk,
Carried safely by Roger, with hair soft as silk.
It must have been bottles, of course, and I like to imagine my three-and-a-half-year old father carefully carrying them - for whatever reason.
3.
M is for Margaret, tall and still shooting,
Happily here there is small need for booting.
Neither of Maggie's parents was much over five feet tall, and I remember my Aunt Maggie (the one time I met her) as being short, but never mind, she was getting taller.
4.
S for the Spirituals sung by Aunt Eva -
Sweetly, caressingly, in full sincerity.
Aunt Eva was a contralto, so I can imagine that she did indeed sing spirituals beautifully. It surprises me that she chose to sing them, but I wish I could have heard her.
5.
W for the waves, warm, wondrous to feel,
One's blood remains normal and does not congeal.
So Madeleine was used to colder water at home in England?
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LINKS TO OTHER RELEVANT PAGES IN THIS WEBSITE
DOCUMENT LISTS FOR PEOPLE:
- WILL: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- ALMA: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- EVA: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- KATHLEEN: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- THE NEXT GENERATION: DOCUMENTS ----- Maggie, Billy, Kay, Roger
- NON-FAMILY: WOODS HOLE FOLKS ----- Madeleine Munro
RELATED DOCUMENTS/PAGES:
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