My Pa says that he used to be <br />A bright boy in geography; <br />An' when he went to school he knew <br />The rivers an' the mountains, too, <br />An' all the capitals of states <br />An' bound'ry lines an' all the dates <br />They joined the union. But last night <br />When I was studyin' to recite <br />I asked him if he would explain <br />The leading industries of Maine— <br />He thought an' thought an' thought a lot, <br />An' said, 'I knew, but I've forgot.' <br />My Pa says when he was in school <br />He got a hundred as a rule; <br />An' grammar was a thing he knew <br />Becoz he paid attention to <br />His teacher, an' he learned the way <br />To write good English, an' to say <br />The proper things, an' I should be <br />As good a boy in school as he. <br />But once I asked him could he give <br />Me help with the infinitive— <br />He scratched his head and said: 'Great Scott! <br />I used to know, but I've forgot. <br />My Pa says when he was a boy <br />Arithmetic was just a toy; <br />He learned his tables mighty fast <br />An' every term he always passed, <br />An' had good marks, an' teachers said: <br />'That youngster surely has a head.' <br />But just the same I notice now <br />Most every time I ask him how <br />To find the common multiple, <br />He says, 'That's most unusual! <br />Once I'd have told you on the spot, <br />But somehow, sonny, I've forgot.' <br />I'm tellin' you just what is what, <br />My Pa's forgot an awful lot!<br /><br />Edgar Albert Guest<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/forgetful-pa/
