Betsey and I Are Out

Will Carleton was the bard of rural America, and this poem captures his gift for rendering the quiet heroism of ordinary people facing hard times. Written in the dialect of late 19th-century farm country, it follows a couple as they find themselves 'out' - whether from their home, their means of livelihood, or both. Carleton's power lies in making the struggles of simple folk feel universal: the fear, the determination, the dark humor that helps people survive. His verse moves with the cadence of spoken language, rough-hewn but surprisingly tender. For readers who appreciate poetry that speaks plainly about real hardship, this offers a window into an older America's relationship with perseverance and loss.