by Glen Martin Fitch
I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD SAY THIS
"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households.“ Attributed to SOCRATES
Our parents, I think,
taught us to behave.
I know we kids
were often angry, sad.
It seems now happy children
parents crave.
But are they?
Often they seem awfully bad.
Who's pleased
to hear a toddler's harsh lament?
But I improved
from feeling my distress.
What did I learn
when I was pleased, content?
Through service
I gained skills for each success.
Though when my will was thwarted
I felt stung,
safe limits
helped me find my own delight.
To suffer is the cure
for being young.
I made mistakes.
I learned to do what's right.
Of course
I would be happy if I could.
Keen consolation comes
from doing good.
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ABOUT THE POET ~
Glen Fitch is a 16th Century poet lost in the 21st Century. Born near Niagara Falls, educated in the Catskills, thirty years on the Monterey Bay he now lives in Palm Springs. Retail not academics has paid the bills. Someday he will finish Spenser's "The Fairie Queene."
Last updated August 23, 2011