Poems my father taught me

I am not good at memorizing things.  I've been telling myself that for 60 years and have come to believe it completely.  But there are exceptions:  I know the Lord's Prayer.  I know the first line of the chorus of BYU's fight song "Rise and Shout" just in case I find myself at a BYU sports event.  I can play on the piano or organ "We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet" just in case I'm playing the prelude for some meeting and the Prophet walks in.  But that's about it.

Oh, and I know the words to a delightful Valentine's Day poem that my father taught me half a century ago:

Hearts and Love

 

Hearts and love, love and hearts,

'Twas an unknown poet  started it

And ever since in songs of love

The rest have always "hearted" it.

 

Why should the heart be chosen

As the place for love to dwell,

When any other organ

I think would do as well?

 

"My floating rib is broken."

"My stomach aches for you."

These two simple phrases

Are realistic, maybe true.

 

"Come ease my throbbing left lung

By saying you'll be mine."

Is a charming little couplet

Good on any Valentine.

 

And it really would be nice to hear

Some bright young medic say:

"Sweetspleen, my epiglottis

Shall be yours forever and a day."

When I decided I wanted to include it in the February ward newsletter, I was really surprised I could come up with the complete poem since it has been several years since I last read it or wrote it down. I remembered it slightly different but made a couple of changes I thought improved the poem.

Then I began wondering where my Dad might have gotten the poem.   After all there was no Internet 50 years ago. But there is now.  Googling various phrases in the poem I was getting millions of hits or none.   Finally, using "sweetspleen" as one word, similar to sweetheart, I hit pay dirt.  Although I can't be sure where my Dad picked it  up, the poem was published in the 1928 issue of the Banyan, the Brigham Young University yearbook!  And it was exactly as I had remembered the poem.  The only clue to the author was a set of initials under the poem:  E. C. J.  Too bad it wasn't Elwood's initials E.C.L.