I WILL TELL YOU OF A FELLOW
I will tell you of a fellow, of a fellow I have seen;
He is neither white nor yellow but he’s altogether green.
His name is nothing charming; it is only common “Bill.”
Now he wishes me to wed him but I hardly think I will.
He came last night to see me, and he made so long a stay,
I began to think the blockhead, never meant to go away.
And the tears the creature wasted were enough to turn a mill,
As he begged me to accept him but I do not think I will.
Now I know that I’d not choose him but that I am fairly in it
For he says if I refuse him that he can not live a minute
And you know that the commandments plainly say we must not kill
So I’ve thought the matter over and I rather think I will.
(repeat last line of every verse.)
Written by Vida Rodgers, May 8, 1915)
*********************
This is my grandmother (my daddy’s mother). My granddad must have thought she was kinda feisty; he was Jim – not Bill. A copy of her handwritten note was passed on to me and I just discovered it recently. I had a laugh. You know how you think your grandmother was always old. At least that was my thought. I guess she was 20; it was a couple of years after she married Jim. Maybe I got some of my love of rhyme from her. Funny what things slip along in one’s DNA.
Sweet aroma 
Most definitely have inherited her talent. What a sweet poem. It made me chuckle 😀
Thank you, dear. We just don’t put that kind of humor into our old mothers of the early years. We see them scrubbing the washing, shooing the flies out of the house, feeding their eleven kids. How could they be witty and flirty!
So true❤️
What a treasure you found! I do hope you hide it again for the next generation to unbury one day! (The photo alone is priceless!) Hugs!
Isn’t it though! I have shared it with family on FB. They love it!
Wow what a treasure!
Over a hundred years old. My aunt (87) has the original. She made a copy for me. Thanks for the comment.
what a priceless treasure!
Thanks for the response. I do treasure old family relics. I guess that is how this would be classified.
What a hidden gem.
Thank you for the response. Do your older family members have this kind of thing? I’d love to know customs of this kind practiced in your country.
a real cute treasure, thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks, Kate. Is there someone in your family who you can go to for family stories?
think I’ve heard most of them when Mum’s siblings were alive … they used to tell tales about each other 🙂
it’s that same little twinkle in the eye!
In the picture she was probable about the same age I am now. Hope to have a twinkle. 😀
Twinkle, twinkle…twinkle, I said, that’s not the same as tinkle. I have plenty of those, she says with a twinkle!
its certainly in the genes I reckon also the sparkling sense of fun and humour.
😀
It is really something priceless that you’ve discovered oneta. I feel you to be too young now.😂😂
People like you keep pushing me when I need it – or pulling me if need be. 😀
How wonderful to find this Oneta! It does seem like we always think of our parents and grandparents as having been born old. When we sorted through my in-laws stuff once they moved we found letters my dad in law had written to my mom in law when he was in the service. They are a treasure also!
How nice! I also have letters from mom and dad to each other before they were married My mom kept them. She also had letters I wrote to her when Sammy and I were dating. I wrote a few blogs about them last year. They were so funny. I poured out my broken heart one time when he went back to his old girlfriend. I would never have believed I wrote such things if I had not seen them!