A Tongue of Wood by Stephen Crane

Moving, to say the least! Read it in the subway as part of New York's 'Poetry in Motion' movement. Some of the other poems are also from there.

There was a man with tongue of wood
Who essayed to sing,
And in truth it was lamentable.
But there was one who heard
The clip-clapper of this tongue of wood
And knew what the man
Wished to sing,
And with that the singer was content.