The Poetry of George Albert Leddy

The Poetry of George Albert Leddy (1883-1967) was first published in 1998 by his grandson Chris Abair and is a significant find in the genre popularized by Robert Service-author of The Cremation of Sam McGee. The poems are mostly detailed stories ingeniously crafted in perfect lyrical rhyme offering a unique perspective on early twentieth-century America-a harsh but simpler time. In the oral tradition of storytelling these poetic ballads are meant to be memorized and recited from the heart-some take 15 minutes to perform! The poems cover a variety of themes: The series Tales of the Rugged Trails are grisly barroom ballads set in the Arctic Out West and on the sea. It includes The Voice of the Bar and License or Prohibition which deal with the evils of alcohol. Cook and Peary debates the question of who first discovered the North Pole. The Blue and the Gray and Decoration Day have a patriotic theme. A series of poems on the lighter side include titles like The Butterfly and the Rose and The Old Picket Fence. And there are many humorous personal poems. A new generation is discovering that poetry is a performing art as evident by the popularity of poetry slams rapping and Poetry Out-Loud competitions. Young people are realizing that poetry is meant to be heard like a song and recited like an actor performs lines. Still many people today find poetry boring and hard to understand. The poetry of George Albert Leddy will surely go a long way to help change that perception.