Sam Walter Foss was a New England librarian and poet. He was born on June 19, 1858 in New Hampshire, went to college in Rhode Island and served as librarian for the Somerville Public Library in Massachusetts beginning in 1898. His most famous poem was The House by The Side of the Road.

There are some really good articles online about him, such as Minor Poet with a Major Message, with some examples of his poetry.

J. Dennis Robinson’s article, Sam Walter Foss was NH Poet Laureate for the Common Man, says that Sam rocked! I agree. I like many a dialectic poem and this article includes a passage from one Foss wrote:

“In another poem, Foss plays the part of a storeowner who tries to join the local church, because he knows that is the best way to attract customers. Unwilling to have him as a member, the church elders stall the merchant by telling him to go off and talk to God. But the merchant returns a few weeks later and tells the shocked elders that he has, indeed, talked to God about joining their church. What did the Lord say? – they ask. The shopkeeper repeats the conversation:

“I’m trying to git in,” sez I, “to the church of Elder Ford,
An they won’t let me in at all.” “Don’t worry,” sez the Lord.
“You’re not the only one,” sez He, “they’ve laid upon the shelf.
I’ve tried ten years without success to git in there myself,”

That’s painfully funny, and it also reminds me of another poem my grandfather told me once that I’ll have to go hunt up. But to stay on point for now - it’s true Foss’ books are out of print, but some of them are now available on google books. That’s where I found this poem:

HIMSELFING

WHEN Shakespeare was shakespearing, he knew not he shakespeared,
And Meyerbeer meyerbeering knew not he meyer-beered,
Thucydides thucydidesing,
Demosthenes demosthenesing
Did their own work in their own way and did it as they pleased,
But knew not they thucydidized or they demosthenesed.
When Chaucer was a-chaucering, he chaucered on unknowing,
And Edgar Allan Poe poed on and knew not he was poeing;
Unconscious Poe poed poingly,
And Shelley shelled unknowingly,
And Kant he kanted all his life and knew not he could kant;
And Dante danted evermore but knew not he could dant.

When a man is socratesing, you may know he’s Socrates,
And a man themistoclesing, he must be Themistocles ;
By the way a man’s behaving
Be he neroing or gustaving,
He is Nero or Gustavus and no other man can be,
For no other man can do his job — no other man than he.
So let Briggs keep on a-briggsing, and Smith keep smithing on,
And Griggs keep on a-griggsing, nor Johnson cease to John;
Magoun keep on magouning,
And Spooner keep a-spooning,
And Bagster bag, and Jacobs jake, and Logan always loge,
And Rider ride, and Snyder snide, and Hogan always hoge.
Let Stubbs keep on a-stubbing but try not to shakespeare,
And Grubb continue grubbing nor try to meyerbeer;
Let Streeter keep a-streetering,
And Peters keep a-petering;
For in somebody-elsing there is no fame or pelf,
Let each man go himselfing and each man be himself.

More links
Songs of the Average Man by Sam Walter Foss
Back Country Poems by Sam Walter Foss

Tags: 19th century, American