Giuseppe Tomassi
Giuseppe Tomassi ees stylisha chap,
He wear da white collar an' cuff;
He says: "For expanse I no giva da rap,
Da basta ees not good enough."
When out weeth hees Rosa he wear da silk hat,
An' carry da cane lik' da lord;
He spenda hees money lik' dees, an' lik' dat,
For Giuseppe, he work at da Ford.
He smoke da seegar with da beega da band,
Da tree-for-da-quart' ees da kind;
Da diamond dat flash from da back of hees hand
Ees da beegest Giuseppe could find.
He dress up hees Rosa in satin an' lace,
She no longer scrub at da board,
But putta da paint on de leeps an' da face,
For Giuseppe, he work at da Ford.
Giuseppe, ees strutta about lik' da king,
An' laugh at da hard-worka man
Who grinda da org' a few neekels to bring,
Or sella da ripa banan'.
Each morning he waxa da blacka moustache,
Then walk up an' down through da ward;
You betta he gotta da playnta da cash,
For Giuseppe, he work at da Ford.
Battle of Belleau Wood
This poem was chosen by Major General John A. Lejeune, Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, as his favorite of all the Marine Corps verse written during the war.
It was thick with Prussian troopers, it was foul with German guns;
Every tree that cast a shadow was a sheltering place for Huns.
Death was guarding every roadway, death was watching every field,
And behind each rise of terrain was a rapid-fire concealed;
Uncle Sam's Marines had orders: "Drive the Boche from where they're hid.
For the honor of Old Glory, take the woods!" And so they did.
I fancy none will tell it as the story should be told—
None will ever do full justice to those Yankee troopers bold—
How they crawled upon their stomachs through the fields of golden wheat,
With the bullets spitting at them in that awful battle heat.
It's a tale too big for writing; it's beyond the voice or pen,
But it glows among the splendor of the bravest deeds of men.