This I would like to be- braver and bolder, <br />Just a bit wiser because I am older, <br />Just a bit kinder to those I may meet, <br />Just a bit manlier taking defeat; <br />This for the New Year my wish and my plea- <br />Lord, make a regular man out of me. <br /> <br />This I would like to be- just a bit finer, <br />More of a smiler and less of a whiner, <br />Just a bit quicker to stretch out my hand <br />Helping another who's struggling to stand, <br />This is my prayer for the New Year to be, <br />Lord, make a regular man out of me. <br /> <br />This I would like to be- just a bit fairer, <br />Just a bit better, and just a bit squarer, <br />Not quite so ready to censure and blame, <br />Quicker to help every man in the game, <br />Not quite so eager men's failings to see, <br />Lord, make a regular man out of me. <br /> <br />This I would like to be- just a bit truer, <br />Less of the wisher and more of the doer, <br />Broader and bigger, more willing to give, <br />Living and helping my neighbor to live! <br />This for the New Year my prayer and my plea- <br />Lord, make a regular man out of me.<br /><br />Edgar Albert Guest<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/lord-make-me-a-regular-man/
