MARK TWAIN | Spirit of a Nation

On April 21st, we remember the passing of Mark Twain—America’s great humorist, critic, and storyteller. More than a writer, Twain was a mirror to our nation’s soul: sharp-eyed, warm-hearted, and unafraid to speak truth in plain language.

MARK TWAIN | Spirit of a Nation—as a tribute to the man who gave us the Mississippi’s rhythm in words and the nation’s conscience in wit. This poem is featured in Red, White & Verse and is available here.

Mark Twain

MARK TWAIN | Spirit of a Nation

 

Born in Missouri, under November’s chill,

Samuel Clemens, a name to distill.

Into Mark Twain, a voice of the common man,

Humor and wisdom, from his riverine clan.

In the quiet town of Hannibal’s fold,

Stories were spun, legends were told.

Printer, pilot, miner—the ranks he ascended,

Until pen and wit were splendidly blended.

With Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, he charted,

A course through the American heart, where he darted.

His tales of childhood, steeped in laughter,

Echoed with truths we still chase after.

From the banks of the Mississippi, wide and vast,

To Europe and the Holy Land, his glance was cast.

In The Innocents Abroad, his witticisms unfurl,

A humorous jaunt around the world.

But beneath the laughs, a critical gaze,

Against social injustice, his voice would raise.

With regional dialects, plain language of the land,

He challenged the norms, with a satirist’s hand.

On an April day in 1910, Twain’s tale was done,

But his wit and wisdom continue to stun.

His colloquial prose, his incisive insight,

Illuminate our American night.

Capturing the pulse, the ebb and the rotation,

He embodied the spirt of a nation.

Mark Twain, a guiding star, forever to burn

In every American tale we discern. 

By Greg McNeilly