Democracy grants
  too much freedom
  overdone it spells
its own doom

Life might not be
a feast
be grateful
if it has given you peace

My boat is frail
       and small
       I've no ambition
       to circumvent the world

      only to the nearby shore
      to set up my home
      independently to live
      its wonders to comb

     to be far away from
     civilisation's harsh voice
     with nature to converse
     to gently find my joys

     to be myself and my own
     to graciously grow old and die
     with the winds on my hair and face
     beneath a blue benign sky

The dark I don't fear

     I've trodden its path before

     through its utmost depth

     I've never shed a tear


    my heart bears a light

    every courage I score

    to the dawn I look

    to welcome the sunshine bright

If you know
what to forget
and not to remember
you'd have no regret

the past
you can't reverse
that which is before you
only this you need preserve

The heart that loves truly
         has a foretaste of eternity
         beyond the pale of the earthly
         it dwells in untold bliss and beauty

Every talent
can be sharpened
by the instrument
called 'perseverance'