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Mary's Little Land
Mary had a little lot --
Its soil was very poor;
But still she paid the taxes and
She struggled to get more.
She kept the lot until one day
The people settled down --
And where a wilderness had been
Grew up a thriving town.
Then Mary rented out her land
(She chose it well, you know) --
And waited patiently about
For prices still to grow.
They grew, as population came,
And Mary raised the rent,
With common food and raiment now,
She could not be content;
Her agent wanted her to sell
While was against her rule --
Which made the agent laugh and shout
Because he was a fool.
Her tenants built her mansions fine --
And made a splendid store,
And every time improvements rose
She raised the rent some more.
"What makes the lots keep Mary so?"
The lower classes cry --
"Why Mary keeps the lots, you know,"
The wealthy would reply.
For, so each one of you might be --
" Wealthy, refined and wise" --
If you had wisely grabbed some land
And held it for the rise.
-- Bolton Hall, in The Freeman, July,
1939
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Little Jack Horner
Little Jack Horner sat in a corner
Counting his wages-pie.
The landlord put in his thumb
And pulled out a plum,
And said "What a wise guy am I."
--Dorothy Sara, in The Freeman
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