My second choice in Love Songs of Childhood is a funny poem about a little boy in love with a little girl who does not reciprocate; he hopes to seduce her thanks to his beautiful sled upon which all little girls dream of riding.

A VALENTINE

GO, Cupid, and my sweetheart tell
I love her well.
Yes, though she tramples on my heart
And rends that bleeding thing apart;
And though she rolls a scornful eye
On doting me when I go by;
And though she scouts at everything
As tribute unto her I bring—
Apple, banana, caramel—
Haste, Cupid, to my love and tell,
In spite of all, I love her well!

And further say I have a sled
Cushioned in blue and painted red!
The groceryman has promised I
Can “hitch” whenever he goes by—
Go, tell her that, and, furthermore,
Apprise my sweetheart that a score
Of other little girls implore
The boon of riding on that sled
Painted and hitched, as aforesaid;—
And tell her, Cupid, only she
Shall ride upon that sled with me!
Tell her this all, and further tell
I love her well.

Source of the poem: Love-Songs of Childhood by Eugene Field. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons (1926). Digitised on Internet Archive and as a Project Gutenberg Ebook. The poem is on page 89.

Other source: Poems of Childhood by Eugene Field, with illustrations by Maxfield Parrish. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons (1904). Digitised as a Project Gutenberg Ebook and hypertext version on Wikisource. The poem is on page 182.

This poem has been reprinted in the collection Amours Enfantines by François Lemonnier. My thanks to him for drawing my attention to this poem and this collection.