OUR CURRENTLY FEATURED POEM
SPORTSMANSHIP
When the Tigers played at Cleveland
Toward the season’s very end,
Bob was list’ning to the ball game,
But he failed to comprehend
Why it was the fans of Cleveland
Raised a loud and cheering shout
When a Tiger in the outfield
Put a Cleveland player out.
“Why, oh, why,” he asked his Daddy,
“Are they clapping when they lose?
Now, just listen to the racket.
Don’t they know just who is whose?”
“Yes, they know,” his Daddy answered,
“But no sportsman’s ever small,
And one couldn’t help applauding
How that Tiger caught the ball.
No one thought that he could reach it,
For it seemed too far away.
When he did, they had to tell him
He had made a splendid play.
Though they’ve set their hearts in earnest
On attaining pennant fame,
They can recognize a rival
For the way he plays the game.”
Margaret Rorke (1915-2000) wrote poetry that was regularly published on the editorial pages of The Saginaw News (2,824 different poems in all). From 1975 through 1990, approximately 400 of her poems were featured in Judd Arnett’s column in The Detroit Free Press, and her poetry appeared in countless other settings throughout her lifetime.
The digital edition of her 4,000 published poems as well as her three books of poetry have recently been added to the Library of Congress's collection of American poetry.
This website was made in an effort to share Margaret Rorke’s poems with the world. Please read, enjoy, and most of all - share with your loved ones.
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3 THINGS TO DO WITH A POEM YOU LOVE
Send it to a Loved One
Download or print any poem from this website and email or send it to friends or family members. It will brighten their day!
Hang it Up in Your Home
Hang up a poem that inspires you somewhere in your home where you’ll see it often, and it will bring you joy every day!
Read it to Your Children
Many of Margaret’s poems tickle the funny poem, and your children are sure to enjoy them. Make them a bedtime read!
Are you looking for a poem on a particular topic?
Margaret Rorke published over 4,000 poems in her lifetime. If you are looking for a poem on a particular topic, please fill out the form here, and her daughter, Peg, and son, Bob, will be in touch with what they can find.