Some of Art’s most beloved poems were written by request, including this one written for my cousin, Laura, when she was a child:
I sneaked up through the shadows
Just as quiet as a mouse,
And I peeked into the windows
Of a big old haunted house.
I’ve heard relatives say that as kids, they thought everyone had poetic family members who penned verses on request. I’m sure other poems in the archive were gifts, too. Maybe you should celebrate National Poetry Month by surprising someone with a poem…
Arthur Franklin Mapes 
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