Jack-In-The-Box

 

Tell me, is the jack-in-the-box shy;
Is he lonely in his wooden cage?
For when I visit on rainy days,
He comes out smiling and singing praise.

Tell me, is the jack-in-the-box cold;
Does he shiver his inhuman can?
For his face is ice to summer hands,
And he shakes, on his wobbling stand.

Tell me, does the jack-in-the-box cry
While he is crammed in his splintered home?
For:– I cry,– when I’m all alone,
Those freezing nights, with my freezing bones.