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"When Ida Puts Her Armor On" from Oshkosh Daily Northwestern
by Ellis Parker Butler


from Oshkosh Daily Northwestern
When Ida Puts Her Armor On
by Ellis Parker Butler

When Ida puts her armor on
    And draws her trusty blade
The turnips in the bin turn pale,
    The apples are afraid.
The quiet kitchen city wakes
    And consternation feels,
And quick the tocsin pealeth forth
    In long potato peels.

When Ida puts her armor on
    The pots and pans succumb,
A wooden spoon her drum-stick is,
    A mixing pan her drum;
She charges on the kitchen folk
    With silver, tin and steel
She beat the eggs, she whips the cream,
    The victory is a meal.

When Ida puts her apron on
    Her breast-plate is of blue.
(Checked gingham ruffled top and sides)
    Her gauntlets gingham, too;
And thus protected from assault
    Of batter, stain and flour
She wars with vegetable foes
    And conquers in an hour.

When Ida puts her armor on
    She is so fair to see
Her battle with the kitchen folk
    Is reproduced in me;
So sweet she is, armed cap-a-pie,
    So good her kitchen art
I hardly know which loves her best
    My palate or my heart.




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Saturday, October 07 at 2:53:57am USA Central