Login
|
Join PoetrySoup
Home
Submit Poems
Login
Sign Up
Member Home
My Poems
My Quotes
My Profile & Settings
My Inboxes
My Outboxes
Soup Mail
Contest Results/Status
Contests
Poems
Poets
Famous Poems
Famous Poets
Dictionary
Types of Poems
Quotes
Short Stories
Articles
Forum
Blogs
Poem of the Day
New Poems
Resources
Syllable Counter
Anthology
Grammar Check
Greeting Card Maker
Classifieds
Member Area
Member Home
My Profile and Settings
My Poems
My Quotes
My Short Stories
My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder
Soup Social
Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us
Member Poems
Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Random
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread
Member Poets
Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest
Famous Poems
Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100
Famous Poets
Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War
Poetry Resources
Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetics
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
Store
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter
Email Poem
Your IP Address: 3.145.156.46
From Email:
Required
Email Address Not Valid.
To Email:
Email Address Not Valid.
Required
Subject
Required
Personal Note:
Poem Title:
Poem
When you wear a cloudy collar and a shirt that isn't white, And you cannot sleep for thinking how you'll reach to-morrow night, You may be a man of sorrows, and on speaking terms with Care, And as yet be unacquainted with the Demon of Despair; For I rather think that nothing heaps the trouble on your mind Like the knowledge that your trousers badly need a patch behind. I have noticed when misfortune strikes the hero of the play, That his clothes are worn and tattered in a most unlikely way; And the gods applaud and cheer him while he whines and loafs around, And they never seem to notice that his pants are mostly sound; But, of course, he cannot help it, for our mirth would mock his care, If the ceiling of his trousers showed the patches of repair. You are none the less a hero if you elevate your chin When you feel the pavement wearing through the leather, sock, and skin; You are rather more heroic than are ordinary folk If you scorn to fish for pity under cover of a joke; You will face the doubtful glances of the people that you know; But -- of course, you're bound to face them when your pants begin to go. If, when flush, you took your pleasures -- failed to make a god of Pelf, Some will say that for your troubles you can only thank yourself -- Some will swear you'll die a beggar, but you only laugh at that, While your garments hand together and you wear a decent hat; You may laugh at their predictions while your soles are wearing low, But -- a man's an awful coward when his pants begin to go. Though the present and the future may be anything but bright, It is best to tell the fellows that you're getting on all right, And a man prefers to say it -- 'tis a manly lie to tell, For the folks may be persuaded that you're doing very well; But it's hard to be a hero, and it's hard to wear a grin, When your most important garment is in places very thin. Get some sympathy and comfort from the chum who knows you best, That your sorrows won't run over in the presence of the rest; There's a chum that you can go to when you feel inclined to whine, He'll declare your coat is tidy, and he'll say: `Just look at mine!' Though you may be patched all over he will say it doesn't show, And he'll swear it can't be noticed when your pants begin to go. Brother mine, and of misfortune! times are hard, but do not fret, Keep your courage up and struggle, and we'll laugh at these things yet, Though there is no corn in Egypt, surely Africa has some -- Keep your smile in working order for the better days to come! We shall often laugh together at the hard times that we know, And get measured by the tailor when our pants begin to go. ...... Now the lady of refinement, in the lap of comfort rocked, Chancing on these rugged verses, will pretend that she is shocked. Leave her to her smelling-bottle; 'tis the wealthy who decide That the world should hide its patches 'neath the cruel look of pride; And I think there's something noble, and I swear there's nothing low, In the pride of Human Nature when its pants begin to go.
Type the characters you see in the picture
Required