May I share with you ?
This simple Haiku
30/10/18.

May I share with you?
This uplifting poetry
With me all my life.


From Memory my favourite poem by Rudyard Kipling. “IF”.

If you can keep your head when all about you Are loosing there’s and blaming you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you ,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about ,don’t deal in lies.
Or being hated ,don’t give way to hating ,
And yet don’t look too good ,nor talk too wise.

If you can dream ~and not make dreams your master ,
If you can think ~ and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to ,broken.
And stoop and build them up with worn out tools.

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch and toss,
And loose ,and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will which says to them “Hold on “

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue
Or walk with kings~ nor loose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you ,
If all men count with you , but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run
Yours is the earth and everything that’s in it ,
And  -which is more- you’ll be a Man,my son !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now my father and mother gave me a copy of this poem when I was about 10.
I have tried to tick all these boxes ever since.
It may seem a little old fashioned now as it was written about 110  years ago.
It’s always helped me.
I needed each and every virtue today.
,

If you can keep your dignity when all about you
Are losing theirs and pretending its not true,
If you can avoid contact when all men want you,
But straight faced act like you want them too,
If you can force a smile and never tire of smiling
Or being fake, never believe the lies
Or being grabbed, never give way to slapping
And yet listening to *****, just bat your eyes

If you can dance – and use it to men master
If you can flirt – and not fancy, play a game
If you can have nights o’ triumph and disaster
And come back to work just the same  
If you can bear to hear some filth to you spoken
Uttered by fathers to get off on, the fools
Or watch brothers pretend they’ve just woken
And to our sisters, say they play by the rules

If you can make one big heap of cash earnings
And not think you won’t ever make a big loss
And save, and start again as if you’ve no savings
And never boast or act like the boss
If you can force your mind and body and sinew
To serve endless men like they’re the only one
And be a drunkard, when there’s not drop in you
Accept it’s a job and it’s a job to get done

If you can talk with rich men who have no virtue
Or sit with ****** – not attend to their crotch
If neither boss nor floor staff ever alert to you
If all the girls like you, but none too much
If you can stay how you feel this minute
With your innocent heart pure and head clear
Yours is the ******* and the cash that’s in it
And – which is more – you’re a stripper, my dear!