The Flying Wonder

Said Orville Wright to Wilbur Wright,

“These birds are very trying.

I’m sick of hearing them cheep-cheep

About the fun of flying.

A bird has feathers, it is true.

That much I freely grant.

But must that stop us, W?”

Said Wilbur Wright, “It shan’t.”

And so they built a glider, first,

And then they built another.

-There never were two brothers more

Devoted to each other.

They ran a dusty little shop

For bicycle-repairing,

And bought each other soda-pop

And praised each other’s daring.

They glided here, they glided there,

They sometimes skinned their noses.

-For learning how to rule the air

Was not a bed of roses-

But each would murmur, afterward,

While patching up his bro.

“Are we discouraged, W?”

“Of course we are not, O!”

And finally, at Kitty Hawk

In Nineteen-Three (let’s cheer it!),

The first real aeroplane really flew

With Orville there to steer it!

-And kingdoms may forget their kings

And dogs forget their bites,

But not till Man forgets his wings

Will men forget the Wrights.

   -Stephen Vincent Benet

Figures of Speech:

Alliteration:

Said Orville Wright to Wilbur   Wright – v

About the fun of flying – f

And then they built   another – t

They sometimes skinned  their noses – s

The first real aeroplane   really flew – r

And kingdoms may forget   their kings – k

Will  men forget the Wrights – v

Anaphora:

And  so they built a glider, first,

And  then they built another

And  bought each other soda-pop

And  praised each other’s daring.

They  glided here, they glided there,

They  sometimes skinned their noses

And  kingdoms may forget their kings

And  dogs forget their bites

Repetition:

And kingdoms may forget  their kings

And dogs forget their   bites,

But not till Man forgets  his wings

Will men forget the   Wrights

Apostrophe:

And kingdoms may forget   their kings

Rhyme

abcb – Trying, flying; grant, shan’t;   another, other; bro, O;

abab – Shop, soda-pop; re-pairing,   daring; there, air; noses, roses; kings, wings; bites, wrights;