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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
IS IT REALLY WORTH WHILE?, by ANONYMOUS First Line: "sometimes, old pal, in the morning" Last Line: For tomorrow you may die | |||
SOMETIMES, old pal, in the morning, When the dawn is cold and gray, And I lie in the perfumed blankets Thinking thoughts that I dare not say, I think of the stunts of the night before And smile a feeble smile And say to myself the hundredth time Is it really worth the while? I pick up the morning papers And see where some saintly man Who never got stewed in all his life, Who never said hell nor damn, Who never stayed out till the wee small hours, Or courted a gay soubrette, But preached on the evils of drinking, The wine and the cigarette -- "Cut off in the prime of life," The headlines glibly say; Or "He went to meet his Maker" And "He's passed the Great White Way." They bury him deep while a few friends weep, And the world moves on without a sigh, And the saintly man is forgotten soon Even as you and I. Then I say to myself "Well, Bill, old scout, When it's time to take the jump And you reach that place where the best and worst Must bump the eternal bump, You can smile to yourself and chuckle, Though the path be exceedingly hot, When you were on earth you were going some, Now is that an unholy thought?" So I arise and attach a cracked ice band To the crown of my battered hat, And saunter forth for a gold gin fizz -- She's a great old world at that; And I go on my way rejoicing -- What's the use to complain or sigh Go the route, old scout, and be merry, For tomorrow you may die. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest... |
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