In the Limberlost

In the Limberlost swamp, father drowns.
In the Limberlost forest, mother frowns
And tears
And fears.

In the Limberlost forest, a girl with shining red hair
By her mother, was never treated fair.
In the Limberlost forest, the girl caught moths
And never wore fancy cloths.

In the Limberlost, the girl worked for school.
Her classmates began to think she was cool.
She was smart, sharp, and shiny
And rarely was whiney.

In the Limberlost, mother realized her neglect of the girl.
In the Limberlost, mother's life twirled in a whirl.
Mother promised to behave
And the girl forgave.

In the Limberlost, the girl met a city man.
In the Limberlost, the city man became her fan
He was betrothed to another.
He was shifted by the weather.

Back in the city, an engagement party awaited.
The city girl almost fainted
When the city man left to catch the Yellow Empress.
The city man did not impress.

The city girl ended the thing
And gave the city man back the ring.
In the Limberlost, the city man went
And hoped the girl of the Limberlost would be bent.

In the Limberlost, the man and the woman fell in love.
They soared together like a dove.
They were married.
In the Limberlost, they would be tarried.