Classic Poem

Little Life

Just as he
closes his eye
he can see
the little he was
and the less
he'll be.

Grandmother

Trying
to climb to
high heaven
winded her so
she stopped here
at 87.

Traveller

Here is one
who could never afford
a trip around the earth
and now the earth
is kind to him
and takes him round
the sun.

Hobo

Save the
shadiest benches
in all Kingdom
Come
for this
wandering minstrel
the world
called a
Bum.

Schoolmarm

One last
dumb
little lad
has come
who divides
or subtracts
what she asked him
to add.

District Attorney

He sent so many
to jail for life,
so many to
sudden death,
he finally lost
his own private case
because he was out of
breath.

New Yorker

You
did little else but worry
did little else but hurry
had nothing else but money
when Death hurried too.

Humanity

" Vanity," saith the preacher,
" Inanity's all the rage."
" Insanity," saith the sane man,
" Humanity," the sage.

Too Sensitive

This bird
listened
to his critics
so long
the last of them
finally
silenced his song.

Genius

Death
brought the breath
that gave him Death
and he the breath
that gave Death breath.

Cake On Sunday

Here are some
who died in battle:
Bring on Fame
and let it prattle
the pretty speeches
children make
when you give
each one a cake
on a Sunday
instead of bread:
Fame is Sunday
for the dead.

Last Of All

Last of all
they bring the grave
this silent
undertaker
who saw Death most
and knew best of all
Life is a lovely
fakir.