How rewarding to know Mr. Smith, <br /> Whose writings at random appear! <br />Some think him a joy to be with <br /> While others do not, it is clear. <br /> <br />His eyes are somewhat Oriental, <br /> His fingers are notably long; <br />His disposition is gentle, <br /> He will jump at the sound of a gong. <br /> <br />His chin is quite smooth and uncleft, <br /> His face is clean-shaven and bright, <br />His right arm looks much like his left, <br /> His left leg it goes with his right. <br /> <br />He has friends in the arts and the sciences; <br /> He knows only one talent scout; <br />He can cope with most kitchen appliances, <br /> But in general prefers dining out. <br /> <br />When young he collected matchboxes, <br /> He now collects notebooks and hats; <br />He has eaten roussettes (flying foxes), <br /> Which are really the next thing to bats! <br /> <br />He has never set foot on Majorca, <br /> He has been to Tahiti twice, <br />But will seldom, no veteran walker, <br /> Take two steps when one will suffice. <br /> <br />He abhors motorbikes and boiled cabbage; <br /> Zippers he just tolerates; <br />He is wholly indifferent to cribbage, <br /> And cuts a poor figure on skates. <br /> <br />He weeps by the side of the ocean, <br /> And goes back the way that he came; <br />He calls out his name with emotion-- <br /> It returns to him always the same. <br /> <br />It returns on the wind and he hears it <br /> While the waves make a rustle around; <br />The dark settles down, and he fears it, <br /> He fears its thin, crickety sound. <br /> <br />He thinks more and more as time passes, <br /> Rarely opens a volume on myth. <br />Until mourned by the tall prairie grasses, <br /> How rewarding to know Mr. Smith!<br /><br />William Jay Smith<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/mr-smith/
