Dakota Beacon

With harvest underway and kids in school can autumn be far behind? Shorter days and cooler nights signal summer’s end. It’s not too soon to think of autumn as the grand introduction to the Holidays that follow. It’s only a matter of time before the first frost descends.

What better way to conclude the summer than by browsing through the poems of James Whitcomb Riley. I’ve written about him before. Few writers capture the sense of nostalgic Americana than does Riley. Themes of nature, seasons, family, and friends make Riley one of America’s most recognizable poets. His sentimental style and countrified lingo recall a simpler, bygone era.

           “When the frost is on the punkin’ and the fodder’s in the shock,

                      And you hear the kynouck and gobble of the struttin’ turkey-cock,

           And the clackin’ of the guineys, and the cluckin’ of the hens,

                      And the rooster’s hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;

           Oh, it’s then’s the times a feller is a-feelin’ at his best,

                      With the risin’ sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,

           As he leaves the house bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,

                      When the frost is on the punkin’ and the fodder’s in the shock.”

Born in Greenfield, Indiana, on October 7, 1849, James learned at an early age of his distaste for school discipline. Yet, he loved books, music and poetry. To call Riley a versifier and a writer of “jingles” is rather disparaging. His poetry might better be classified as “rhymes from the heart.” He is no less a poet than Robert Burns or Robert Service.

An Indiana Hoosier at heart, Riley had an unquenchable sense of humor. It is his sense of humor that lightens dramatic moments in his poems. For example, the term “Hoosier” is of uncertain origin and many explanations exist. James’s rendition went like this. Early settlers in Indiana were vicious fighters. Frequently, during a brawl, one combatant might bite off the ear of another. This occurred so frequently that, upon walking into a barroom, a stranger might see an ear on the floor and ask, “Whose ear?”

Riley quit school at sixteen and worked in his father’s law office for a time. When he wasn’t working he wrote verse -- which his father did not encourage. James never imagined his verse would amount to anything.

In his early years, Riley explored various avocations including actor, composer and playwright. He eventually landed a job as associate editor with the Anderson Democrat. During this period his poetry appeared in a number of Indiana newspapers.

A diverse sampling of titles illustrates Riley’s range of themes. “A Backward Look,” “An Old Sweetheart of Mine,” “The Old Guitar,” “Friday Afternoon,” “Our Little Girl,” “A Summer Sunrise,” “When Evening Shadows Fall,” “Home at Night” -- the list numbers in the hundreds.

One of Riley’s classic poems became immensely popular. Millions of people adored the poem “Little Orphant Annie.” It became so popular that, together with another of his poems, “The Raggedy Man” inspired cartoonist John Gruelle with the Indianapolis Star to write stories for his own daughter. The attraction in these stories became the character named Raggedy Ann. This children’s character evolved into a cartoon strip, books, and eventually, a $20 million line of dolls.

           “Little Orphant Annie’s come to our house to stay,

                      An’ wash the cups an’ saucers up, an’ brush the crumbs away,

           An’ shoo the chickens off the porch, an’ dust the hearth and sweep,

                      An’ make the fire, an’ bake the bread, an’ earn her board an’ keep;

           An’ all us other children, when the supper things is done,

                      We set around the kitchen fire an’ has the mostest fun

           A-list’nin to the witch-tales ‘at Annie tells about,

                      An’ the Gobble-uns ‘at gits you ef you don’t watch out!”

“Little Orphant Annie” masterfully captures the sentiment of autumn. The poem conjures up a slice of time of cooler nights and specters of Halloween.

Riley’s down-to-earth poetry, written for common folk, earned him the reputation as the most popular American poet ever. At his passing, 35,000 people attended the memorial service to bid him farewell.

James Whitcomb Riley: October 7, 1849 - July 22, 1916. We could use another American troubadour like him.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).