I love that poem and never read it before!One of my very favourites:
His Apologies - Rudyard Kipling
Master, this is Thy Servant. He is rising eight weeks old.
He is mainly Head and Tummy. His legs are uncontrolled.
But Thou has forgiven his ugliness, and settled him on Thy knee ...
Art Thou content with Thy Servant? He is very comfy with Thee.
Master, behold a Sinner! He hath committed a wrong.
He hath defiled Thy Premises through being kept in too long.
Wherefore his nose has been rubbed in the dirt, and his self-respect has been bruised,
Master, pardon Thy Sinner, and see he is properly loosed.
Master - again Thy Sinner! This that was once Thy Shoe,
He has found and taken and carried aside, as fitting matter to chew.
Now there is neither blacking nor tongue, and the Housemaid has us in tow.
Master, remember Thy Servant is young, and tell her to let him go!
Master, extol Thy Servant, he has met a most Worthy Foe!
There has been fighting all over the Shop - and into the Shop also!
Till cruel umbrellas parted the strife (or I might have been choking him yet)
But Thy Servant has had the Time of his Life - and now shall we call on the vet?
Master, behold Thy Servant! Strange children came to play,
And because they fought to caress him, Thy Servant wentedst away.
But now that the Little Beasts have gone, he has returned to see
(Brushed - with his Sunday collar on) what they left over from tea.
Master, pity Thy Servant! He is deaf and three parts blind.
He cannot catch Thy Commandments. He cannot read Thy Mind.
Oh, leave him not to his loneliness; nor make him that kitten's scorn.
He hath had none other God than Thee since the year that he was born.
Lord, look down on Thy Servant! Bad things have come to pass.
There is no heat in the midday sun, nor health in the wayside grass.
His bones are full of an old disease - his torments run and increase.
Lord, make haste with Thy Lightnings and grant him a quick release!
I know that many of Kipling's views are outdated and not what we care to think today, but he did write some really glorious poetry! And, indeed, some wonderful stories - he wasn't all White Man's Burden!I love that poem and never read it before!
I grew up with dogs, although we aren't allowed them in our block of flats, so haven't ever had a dog of my own. But they are wonderful animals. And that poem - I prayed those last two lines for my father when he lay dying; he had loved his dogs so much (I never did ask him which one he was looking forward most to meeting again in heaven!)...Thank you, Mrs Redboots. This is beautiful and deeply moving. It made me think of the love and loyalty our dogs give us throughout their whole lives.
Wait for me in heaven, my love,I grew up with dogs, although we aren't allowed them in our block of flats, so haven't ever had a dog of my own. But they are wonderful animals. And that poem - I prayed those last two lines for my father when he lay dying; he had loved his dogs so much (I never did ask him which one he was looking forward most to meeting again in heaven!)...
This poem makes me reflect on one of the things Stoicism says: "Think about your death, not to be sad, but to value the present more. It doesn't matter how long you live, it's the quality of the days you live that matters." Cheers!This is a favourite of mine, especially when I am feeling a bit lazy
Dust if you must,
By Rose Milligan
Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better
To paint a picture, or write a letter,
Bake a cake, or plant a seed;
Ponder the difference between want and need?
Dust if you must, but there's not much time,
With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;
Music to hear, and books to read;
Friends to cherish, and life to lead.
Dust if you must, but the world's out there
With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair;
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,
This day will not come around again.
Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it's not kind.
And when you go (and go you must)
You, yourself, will make more dust.
OrThis poem makes me reflect on one of the things Stoicism says: "Think about your death, not to be sad, but to value the present more. It doesn't matter how long you live, it's the quality of the days you live that matters." Cheers!
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