"You’re right!"
Said the left hand to the other,
"For the child we thank the father"
"No, no, no, no; you misunderstand me,
My dear brother;
I said thank the lover
Of the mother-
There’s a rather
Subtle difference!"
"Oh my! I quite dislike your inference,
And unless you shift
Your ‘pinion quick and swift,
‘Twill cause a rift
Betwixt us friend!"
"Shift my view?!
For the sake of you?!!
I’ll defend
It to the end!"
"Right! The gloves are off!"
So they scuffle, scrape and scoff,
Neither ending better off
(Such being the lot
Of those who’ve got
An obstinate will)
"Aright, aright, aright a’ready,
I’m left
Here wondering what to do;
I no longer wanna fight with you,
But simply cannot accept certain things as true"
The other pondered this awhile before replying:
"Nor should you have to:
Except accept those things
As another’s view.
Now let’s shake
And never fight,
Go on brother,
You know I’m Right!"
And so it was,
And so it passed,
Affairs to end,
But friendships last:
We’re all that child
With a father
Here on one hand
And the lover
Of the mother
On the other.
Choose what’s right,
But then what’s left?
Change your mind,
Then you’ll find
You’re wrong.
But don’t you worry,
There’s a moral to this story:
It’s that being able to say you’re sorry
Is a very handy thing.
March/April 2001