I knew that irksome emotion Had emptied the vessel of devotion They did want me as captain or King I wanted them three times more than being ordinary That's the ardor I had once I was deceived twice and let the matter be once
What grew jarring was the stuttering When I lost my spirit Bit by bit my heart grew terse and blithe Little did my confidence help me keep my wits I went through the works of Emerson and Whitman I immersed myself in the light of wine I lost sight of the darkness of time
I know I married a poet When I see through their will The stretch of time washes through thine eye None had ever scared him only my wish T'was the wind dimming that saw me sinking As vision of land and seething water That brought the emptiness in my soulless win
"And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good."- John Steinbeck