Hem and Haw were the sons of sin, <br />Created to shally and shirk; <br />Hem lay 'round and Haw looked on <br />While God did all the work. <br /> <br />Hem was a fogy, and Haw was a prig, <br />For both had the dull, dull mind; <br />And whenever they found a thing to do, <br />They yammered and went it blind. <br /> <br />Hem was the father of bigots and bores; <br />As the sands of the sea were they. <br />And Haw was the father of all the tribe <br />Who criticize to-day. <br /> <br />But God was an artist from the first, <br />And knew what he was about; <br />While over his shoulder sneered these two, <br />And advised him to rub it out. <br /> <br />They prophesied ruin ere man was made; <br />'Such folly must surely fail!' <br />And when he was done, 'Do you think, my Lord, <br />He's better without a tail?' <br /> <br />And still in the honest working world, <br />With posture and hint and smirk, <br />These sons of the devil are standing by <br />While man does all the work. <br /> <br />They balk endeavor and baffle reform, <br />In the sacred name of law; <br />And over the quavering voice of Hem <br />Is the droning voice of Haw.<br /><br />Bliss William Carman<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/hem-and-haw/
