Vachel Lindsay

Nicholas Vachel Lindsay (November 10, 1879 - December 5, 1931) was an American poet born in Springfield, Illinois, known as the "Prairie Troubador." Lindsay was an early proponent of jazz poetry. Though he received considerable praise from various audiences during his life, his reputation and family life declined towards the end of his life; Lindsay, having suffered from serious mental problems, committed suicide in 1931 by drinking a bottle of Lysol.

Selected Works

• "Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight"
• "An Indian Summer Day on the Prairie"
• "A Rhyme About an Electrical Advertising Sign"
• "A Sense of Humor"
• "Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan"
• "The Dandelion"
• "Drying Their Wings"
• "The Eagle That is Forgotten"
• "Euclid"
• "Factory Windows are Always Broken"
• "The Flower-Fed Buffaloes"
• "General William Booth Enters Into Heaven"
• "In Praise of Johnny Appleseed"
• "Love and Law"
• "The North Star Whispers to the Blacksmith's Son"
• "On the Garden Wall"
• "The Prairie Battlements"
• "Prologue to "Rhymes to be Traded for Bread" "
• "The Congo: A Study of the Negro Race"
• "The Firemen's Ball"
• "The Rose of Midnight"
• "This Section is a Christmas Tree"
• "To Gloriana"
• "What Semiramis Said"
• "What the Ghost of the Gambler Said"
• "Written for a Musician"