MAGIC
Do I believe in magic?'
Certainly I do!
For magic is all around us,
Constantly in view.
I don't believe in 'numbers';
Or even 'horoscopes'
And I think those that do believe
Are merely gullible dopes.
I don't believe in 'tea-leaves'
Or even 'rabbit's feet';
And I think that Fortune Tellers
Are inclined to lie and cheat.
But I do believe in the magic
Of the atom and the cell;
And I do believe it's magic
When a pearl grows in a shell.
I think the fact that I'm alive
Is magic undeniable;
And I think of magic when the sun comes up,
Daily and so reliable.
What need is there of Fairies,
Or Angels, come to that,
When we are floating in a magic
That's like some Magnificat?
*
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SHAME
You ask us to write about Shame
And my mind is blank!
Have I led a blameless
As opposed to a shameless,
Life?
No!
I can recall moments of
Stupidity,
Brashness,
Thoughtlessness,
And, even, Unkindness.
But the memories
Are softened by time.
I'm sure I wasn't that bad after all!
At night I enjoy a dream-free sleep,
The sure sign of a clear conscience.
How is it then
That when I rest on the settee
For half an hour
In the afternoon,
And I doze,
Every stupid action surges back?
Frequently,
I'm jolted back to wakefulness
By the reliving
Of each miserable act!
I wake feeling I have only just committed it!
It is
So fresh,
So bald,
So appalling,
So humiliating
That the thought kills all slumber.
*
Of course,
I can't recount my sins to you
Because I am wide awake.
Pity about that!
*
