The Katydid by Payson Sibley Wild
A sweltering, mosquito-plagued night drives the speaker to distraction: heat, barking hounds, braying jackasses, and crying Little Willy already fray his nerves before a katydid in a nearby elm starts up its rasping, mechanical screech. He rails at its grating three-beat cry of "She did!" and begs it to change its tune, finally ordering it killed; by morning, relieved, he learns Katy has died.
By Payson Sibley Wild · First published 1918 · Genre: Poetry, Dialect/Folk Poetry, Humorous/Comic Poetry · 590 words
First lines
Skeeters pest'rin', / Bites a-fest'rin', / Merc'ry ninety-four; / Feelin' groggy, / Piller soggy, / Makes me tur'bel sore.
Rollin', groanin', / Tossin', moanin', / Hotter 'n eggs a-fryin'; / Houn' dawg yellin', / Jack-ass hellin', / Little Willy cryin'.
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Genres
- Poetry — The work is structured in verse form with consistent rhyme schemes, stanzas, and varied meter, establishing poetry as the foundational genre.
- Dialect/Folk Poetry — Heavy use of vernacular spelling and speech patterns ('thet', 'yew', 'yer', ''n'') creates a folk vernacular voice characteristic of oral traditions and rural American dialects.
- Humorous/Comic Poetry — The exaggerated emotional response to an insect and the absurd progression from frustration to attempted murder to resignation create sustained comedic effect.
- Nature Poetry — Centers on a katydid and nocturnal natural phenomena as primary subject matter, with detailed sensory descriptions of rural night sounds and weather.
Tags
insects · katydid · summer · heat · insomnia · frustration · rural setting · humor · dialect poetry · vernacular · nature sounds · nighttime
What this Textopian page supports
The Katydid is listed on Textopian as a poem by Payson Sibley Wild, dated 1918 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Payson Sibley Wild
- Date: 1918 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Dialect/Folk Poetry, Humorous/Comic Poetry, Nature Poetry, Vernacular Literature
- Length: 590 words
- Structure: 1 section, 16 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Katydid by Payson Sibley Wild
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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