Keep A-Goin'

Author: by Frank L. Stanton (1857-1927)

If you strike a thorn or rose,
Keep a-goin'!
If it hails or if it snows,
Keep a-goin'!
'Taint no use to sit an' whine
When the fish ain't on your line;
Bait your hook an' keep a-tryin'--
Keep a-goin'!

When the weather kills your crop,
Keep a-goin'!
Though 'tis work to reach the top,
Keep a-goin'!
S'pose you're out o' ev'ry dime,
Gittin' broke ain't any crime;
Tell the world you're feelin' prime--
Keep a-goin'!

When it looks like all is up,
Keep a-goin'!
Drain the sweetness from the cup,
Keep a-goin'!
See the wild birds on the wing,
Hear the bells that sweetly ring,
When you feel like singin', sing--
Keep a-goin'!

This is yet another inspirational poem. I really like these kinds of poems because it really gives me something to think about. This one is by John Stanton. I like it when people write poems about what you're thinking or what your mood is. When i'm hungry and don't feel like getting up to get a snack and I happen to have to write a poem for a poetry project, I just write a poem about how hungry I am. Maybe this person had some bad things going on in his life but knew he had to keep a-goin'.

I like how it repeats Keep a going throughout the poem. Even though it uses slang language a little like s'pose and e'ery, it still shows it's on the countryside somewhere
This is the rhyme scheme:

AABBC
Keep A-Goin'
AABBB
Keep A-Goin'
AABBB
Keep A-Goin'
AAA
Keep A-Goin'