In a high school class in 1988 I read a poem that I really liked and
am now trying to track down. The only words I remember were arrow,
marrow, through, and bone. They were used together, as in, "to the
marrow, through the bone." The poem had short lines (3 or 4 words
each) of varying length. It was very sing-songy, with a catchy rhythm
to it, sort of like Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven, except the lines were
shorter. It was a longish poem, a few dozen lines I believe.

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Request for Question Clarification by answerfinder-ga on 23 Apr 2005 05:27 PDT

Dear mcmatt_from_golden-ga,

I have found two possible matches. The first consists of 21 verses and
the extract below is from verse 17.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Tales of a Wayside Inn
XI
BISHOP SIGURD AT SALTEN FIORD

"Sharp his tooth was as an arrow,
As he gnawed through bone and marrow;
But without a groan or shudder,
Raud the Strong blaspheming died."

http://www.everypoet.com/archive/poetry/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow/longfellow_wayside_olaf_bishop_sigurd_at_salten_fiord.htm

The second is only 8 lines.

William Butler Yeats - The Arrow

"I thought of your beauty, and this arrow,
Made out of a wild thought, is in my marrow.
There's no man may look upon her, no man,
As when newly grown to be a woman,
Tall and noble but with face and bosom
Delicate in colour as apple blossom.
This beauty's kinder, yet for a reason"

http://oldpoetry.com/poetry/2776
	
If one of these is the poem you are seeking then let me know by way of
clarification and I shall post the answer. If it is not these, can you
remember the subject of the poem?

answerfinder-ga

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Clarification of Question by mcmatt_from_golden-ga on 24 Apr 2005 04:40 PDT

Good effort...but neither of those is it. It's a more contemporary
poem, my guess is written in the last half-century. The language is
very straightforward and easy to read and understand. The lines are
much shorter--only 2 to 4 words each. It's much longer than it is
wide, if you know what I mean. It may also have the words muscle or
sinew in it--I remember that image. Maybe muscle and not marrow? I
don't know the subject, sorry. Best guess is love, but who knows. The
reason it's bugging me so much is that is was a very
beautiful-sounding poem, very lyrical--the reader had the impression
of meandering their way down the long column of words and enjoying the
rhythm and rhymes.

Hey mcmatt_from_golden-ga, is this what you were looking for ?

Any Human to Another 
by Countee Cullen 

The ills I sorrow at 
Not me alone 
Like an arrow, 
Pierce to the marrow, 
Through the fat, 
And past the bone. 

Your grief and mine 
Must intertwine 
Like sea and river, 
Be fused and mingle, 
Diverse yet single, 
Forever and forever. 

Let no man be so proud 
And confident, 
To think he is allowed 
A little tent 
Pitched in a meadow 
Of sun and shadow 
All his little own. 

Joy may be shy, unique, 
Friendly to a few, 
Sorrow never scorned to speak 
To any who 
Were false or true. 

Your every grief 
Like a blade 
Shining and unsheathed 
Must strike me down. 
Of bitter aloes wreathed, 
My sorrow must be laid 
On your head like a crown.

Looks as though you have an answer, but if this is not the poem you
are seeking, have you considered simply contacting either your school
or your local borad of education and asking them what the syllabus was
at that time. Depending on where you are from, this probably also
online...

Yes unleashthegeek-ga, that is the poem! Thanks very much for the
answer. (Not sure of the protocol now...are you a researcher that
answered the question, or was it just a comment and I should cancel
the question?)