If young stayed ever young, did not grow old,
If lead were never taken to be gold,
If roses never sickened,
If Love did not die,
If the well-springs of pleasure never ran dry,
If women were not fickle,
If men were not rats,
If head did not accede to rule of heart,
If Season did not yield to Season,
If stars did not give way to Break of Day,
If Sun were never overcome by Night,
If Wrong were clear and sharp distinct from Right,
If Sovereigns did not send poor sods
To fight in senseless wars,
If Mankind never sought to subvert Nature’s Laws,
If Life were not a battle that ends in a rout,
What would poets find to write about?

Denys E. W. Jones

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