When I was deaf and blind
(a tribute inspired by A. E. Housman)
Published in
Dec 13, 2020
When I was one and twenty
I heard no wise men speak
For I was drinking plenty
Yet never sprung a leak,
No thought about my liver,
Of kidney and of lung,
I sailed that thoughtless river
As death can’t scare the young.
When I was two and twenty
I heard the faintest noise,
The wise old cognoscenti,
An omen in their voice:
“Your soul will stain so dirty”
“You’ll never soak it clean”
Now I am one and thirty
I see just what they mean.
