Charles Frohman

Dear Sovay,

I'm afraid I failed with Britten. (I reckon I just don't love him enough) so I've written a little thing about another boy who never grew up- the impresario, Charles Frohman.


Charles Frohman

He planned to show Jimmy a fine time in Paris;

There were tickets booked, a carriage waiting.

But Jimmy said,  “You know those fairs...”

So they spent the night on the hoopla stall

Playing for knives.  Jimmy possessed

A clever wrist and they won eleven.

 

His leg was bad so he couldn’t jump

Down to the boats- or so he said.

Instead he tied floats to Moses baskets-  

He and Alfred Vanderbilt.

He went to the bridge and Jimmy’s line,

About death- " an awfully big adventure"

Came into his head so he paraphrased it.

Then he and his friends shook hands all round

And the wave came roaring up the deck